Azlan Takes Lead With Cisco C-Series

Becomes first distributor to ship C-Series virtualised data centre solutions and sets out plans for additional briefing sessions and sales and marketing support for reseller partners

Azlan, the enterprise systems division of Computer 2000, has made its first shipments of Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) C-Series virtualised data centre solutions in the UK and with more in the pipeline is quickly establishing a leadership position in a market that promises to deliver unprecedented new growth potential for Cisco partners.

Having made a seven-figure, up-front investment, Azlan has become the first Cisco distributor to offer full availability of C-Series inventory and is ready to fulfil orders immediately. In addition, Azlan has announced plans for further on-boarding briefings for resellers that are eager to take the C-Series to market as soon as possible. It has already staged a number of successful business briefing events and started to work with key Cisco partners to drive sales opportunities.

Ian French Director of Azlan UK stated: “Right from the start, Azlan has taken the leadership position with Cisco C-Series and these further investments will underline the position that we have already established as the partner for choice for Cisco resellers on the UCS range. This is a tremendously exciting opportunity for us and for the whole Cisco community and we will be making continued and significant investments to make sure that our partners can take maximum advantage. We have already become the first distributor to ship C-Series systems and we have a healthy pipeline developing so we’re expecting our sales to ramp-up very quickly.”

All of Azlan’s Cisco team have been fully trained in the Cisco C-Series and Azlan has already staged two very successful briefing events for resellers on the data centre solutions. More of these are now being scheduled to take place all over the UK. Cisco partners will also be offered extra sales and marketing support in the form of hands-on account management and assistance with demonstrations and access to special Cisco marketing funding. “We have a very close relationship with Cisco and we will be drawing on all our expertise and experience to ensure that reseller partners can make the most of all the tremendous resources and effort that both Cisco and Azlan are putting into business development for the C-Series. Those resellers who work closely with us will definitely see the rewards”, said French.

The Cisco C-Series provides an ideal platform for server consolidation and desktop virtualisation projects that drive significant reductions in management and maintenance costs and improved business agility. French stated: “Our early successes underline the leading position that Azlan has quickly taken with Cisco data centre solutions. They also demonstrate the effectiveness of the comprehensive approach we have taken to supporting reseller business development.  By providing them with a full portfolio of C-Series solutions for the mid-market and pro-actively driving education and awareness, Azlan is helping Cisco partners to identify and develop opportunities and to accelerate their sales growth with virtualised Cisco data centre solutions.”

By working with Azlan, he added, Cisco resellers can take advantage of the exceptional service and support the company offers, as well as its advanced logistics and supply-chain management. “Azlan is making use of all the in-house operational, sales and support expertise that we have gained over years to accelerate Cisco’s go-to-market plans with the C-Series. We are working closely with Cisco to ensure that we have the right mix of server configurations to address known market needs.”

Cisco C-Series rack servers are the perfect platform for virtualised environments. They bring together computing power, networking, storage access and virtualization into a single, highly available, cohesive system designed to reduce total cost of ownership (TCO) and increase business agility. By incorporating a standards-based unified network fabric, Cisco VN-Link virtualisation support, and Cisco Extended Memory Technology, the C-Series enables customers to handle the most challenging workloads, protects investments and provides then with a future migration path to unified computing.

About Azlan

Azlan is the specialist enterprise systems division of Computer 2000, which is the UK operation of Tech Data Europe. Through its collection of specialist business units, which include Azlan Maverick, Brightstar and Datech, Computer 2000 provides resellers with a unique combination of focused expertise in key areas of the market and unrivalled stock-holding, logistics, and financial services. Tech Data Corporation (NASDAQ GS: TECD) is one of the world’s largest distributors of technology products from leading IT hardware and software producers. Tech Data serves more than 125,000 IT solution providers in over 100 countries. Every day, these resellers depend on Tech Data to cost-effectively support the technology needs of end users, including small and medium businesses (SMB), large enterprises and government agencies. Ranked 102nd on the 2009 FORTUNE 500(R), Tech Data generated $22.1 billion in net sales for its fiscal year ended January 31, 2010. To learn more, visit www.techdata.com.

For further information contact:

Alice Smitheman
Marketing Director
Tel: 0871 880 3000
Email: alice.smitheman@computer2000.co.uk

Images of Computer 2000 personnel can be accessed in the Management Team section under About Us at: www.computer2000.co.uk