Westcon wins NetApp dual distribution

NetApp has appointed Westcon Group as a second distributor for the New Zealand and Australian markets, following a lengthy review of local distribution.

The vendor says the appointment of Westcon Group will help NetApp meet the growing needs of its customers, while further accelerating growth.

Distribution Central was previously the exclusive New Zealand distributor for the network data storage and management company.

Nick Verykios, Distribution Central managing director, has previously told The Channel the exclusive distribution deal had been instrumental in growing the distributor’s New Zealand business.

NetApp announced the review in May. Westcon’s appointment follows a formal RFP process and review of distributors.

Neville James, NetApp general manager, ANZ channels and enablement, says Westcon was selected due to the depth of its Cisco partnership, breadth of services capability and its investment in high quality technical resources.

“We were also attracted by the firm’s geographic reach and its evolving cloud capability,” James adds.

“With the current business environment changing very quickly and shaping how NetApp operates on both a local and global scale, NetApp took this time to review its go-to-market strategy, especially with regards to its distribution into the channel,” NetApp says.

Adds James: “This partnership will drive growth in new channels and support our partnership with Cisco, as well as a range of future complementary vendor solutions.”