[February 17, 2005]

Tech Data Expanding Telephony Product Offering

By David Sims, TMCnet CRM Alert Columnist

Clearwater, Fla.-based Tech Data Corporation has announced that it will distribute converged voice and data communications systems offered by Comdial Corporation, as well as a complete line of Valcom Inc. paging solutions.

As the only broadline IT distributor for Comdial and Valcom, Tech Data will offer these products to resellers through its Telephony Specialized Business Unit.

"The Telephony SBU is dedicated to helping resellers grow their business through high-margin sales opportunities presented by converging voice and data technologies," said John Ruel, Tech Data's director of Networking Product Marketing. He noted that he saw opportunities for Comdial in the small-to-mid-sized business market, “where converged communications technologies have not penetrated as deeply as they have at the enterprise level.”

Comdial produces a wide array of communication technologies including public branch exchange and IP PBX telephone systems; digital, IP and wireless phones; and voicemail messaging solutions. Among the products distributed by Tech Data is Comdial's CONVERSip MP1000, a plug-and-play SIP-based IP communications solution for the SMB market.

"The MP1000 is an ideal product for resellers entering the IP telephony space because they can easily understand, sell and support it," said Mark Lindsay, Comdial's vice president of marketing.

Valcom products distributed by Tech Data include ceiling-, wall- and desk-mounted speakers, amplifiers and controls, which can be networked together to create public address systems for commercial and industrial use.

Ruel thinks that Valcom's paging systems offer resellers additional opportunities for add-on sales as they develop and deploy communications solutions for a variety of large offices, government facilities or warehouse environments.

David Sims is contributing editor and CRM Alert columnist for TMCnet.