Confirmation of a sole distribution agreement between Storgate Africa and the IBM hard disk drive (HDD) division in Europe will have far-reaching benefits for the storage market in South Africa, says Storgate Africa managing director Peter Blaauw.
After reaching agreement towards the end of last year, Storgate's appointment has been put into full effect.
"Not only have we taken product on board to ensure quick and easy access to stock, but the Storgate sales and support teams have undergone extensive product and technical training by IBM," he says.
Lou Lewis, IBM`s regional sales director for the corporation's storage systems division, says he is delighted with the appointment of Storgate Africa.
"The company was chosen as our sole distributor in South Africa because of its first-class reputation as a focussed storage distributor and strong technical ability. When you combine these qualities with IBM`s comprehensive range of hard drives, you have all the ingredients for a very strong and successful partnership in Africa," says Lewis.
Blaauw points out that IBM's comprehensive range of desktop, server and mobile computing products are an ideal complement to the company's already well-established Seagate brand in South Africa.
"IBM enables us to address market sectors that were previously difficult to satisfy from a single vendor -- particularly for mobile and high-end server or sub-system applications," he says.
Already positioned as the country's largest supplier of disk drives to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), systems integrators and the general reseller after-market for upgrades, Storgate Africa has also successfully developed a "total solution" focus on storage distribution.
"The quality, reliability and performance of IBM drives at the high end of the SCSI market dramatically extends our ability to work with channel customers to address business opportunities in growth areas such as storage area networks, attached storage and sub-systems," he says.
Blaauw points out that IBM's previous distribution arrangements in South Africa have been consolidated into a sole agreement with Storgate Africa.
"One of the benefits identified by IBM in setting up Storgate Africa on these terms was our ability to offer highly responsive warranty and technical services. When dealing with storage devices designed to handle mission-critical data at an enterprise level, customers need the reassurance that the product is supported at the highest levels. Storgate Africa has invested heavily in this aspect of value-add distribution," he says.
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