Nortel and Ingram Micro Enter into Agreement

Ingram Micro, a technology distributor, has signed an agreement with Nortel to distribute the company’s unified communications (UC) solutions to its network of IT resellers in Australia.


Strategic relationship solidifies Nortel’s channel strategy and diversifies Ingram Micro’s (News - Alert) unified communications portfolio.

According to Nortel officials, the pact will see Ingram Micro playing a significant role in distributing Nortel’s recently announced Software Communication System (SCS (News - Alert)), which replicates all the functionality of a unified communications PBX on a standard server using out-of-the-box software.

Officials said that Ingram Micro will also stock Nortel’s extensive range of solutions designed to integrate with Microsoft (News - Alert) and IBM’s UC platforms, including Business Communications Manager (BCM) IP PBX’s for small-to-medium enterprise and will carry Nortel’s established range of data networking products that form the foundation for any UC deployment.

"Nortel is a strategic player in the global UC market and has shown tremendous leadership both globally and in Australia with its software and hardware products in this space" says David Lenz, general manager, Enterprise Technology Group, Ingram Micro Australia, in a statement.

Lenz said that Nortel’s strategic relationships with Microsoft and IBM (News - Alert) will give the resellers a significant go-to-market lead when it comes to specifying UC solutions that can take early advantage of the features and functionality of these platforms.

He was of view that Nortel’s independent UC solutions like the SCS will give the company resellers even more choice when it comes to building custom solutions for their customers.

"With Unified Communications (News - Alert) increasingly becoming an important focus for IT departments as communications and IT converge, our Unified Communications products have become more relevant to the broader IT market," said Neville James, channel director, South Asia, Nortel.

James said that market is Ingram Micro’s strength, so this partnership is a logical fit. The company’s product range will enable Ingram’s resellers to provide their clients with new options, and to increase the range of solutions they can provide, which in turn will help them grow their business.

“We will be working alongside Ingram Micro to support the reseller channel through in-depth technical support and training, and help resellers to take advantage of the growing Unified Communications market," he said.