RME opinion
The value added distributor has built up a fine model of identifying and selecting networking and communication solutions from vendors likely to add significant business benefit to end-customers in the region. FVC’s core competency is its ability to select a suitable vendor technology at the right point of inflexion, below its peak of sales maturity but also on an established track of sales and stability performance.
The distributor is also able to significantly ramp up the competence of its partners in understanding such new additions to the portfolio. It does this through its training centres and makes available on-site proof of concept equipment linked to customer inquiries and sales potential. At any particular point of time, FVC ensures that the vendor solutions in its portfolio are working together in a complementary fashion and not in a competing fashion. A recent market facing investment is FVC’s backward integration around Polycom’s video conferencing solutions.
It has set up a video network operations centre and is making available the managed video services to new category of services reseller partners. Early sign-up for FVC’s video managed services include telco major Du and Egypt based Linkdotnet, an internet services provider. This is another fine example of forward looking added value by the distributor, built on technology competence and vendor support, across a network of resellers with definite end-customer business benefits.
Category: Value added distributor for emerging technologies
Specialisation: Unified communication, information security, application delivery, cloud computing
Vendors: Polycom, Alcatel-Lucent, HP-TippingPoint, nCircle, Barracuda, Citrix, Riverbed, ipoque, Google Enterprise
Value addition: Cheer partner programme (channel enablement, education and rewards): sales support, joint business planning, sales and technical training, support for demonstration, proof of concept at the end-user, marketing support for lead generation, rebates and incentives
Primary markets: Education, oil and gas, telecom, banking and finance, government
Sales offices: UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Nigeria and Algeria
Support offices: UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Nigeria, Ethiopia and Pakistan
Engineers: 36
Employees: 130