Meru Networks, in conjunction with Core Networks SA, is on the hunt for South African resellers, as the wireless LAN vendor aims to increase its South African presence. The US-based firm provides wireless voice and data technology. It is hoping to use SA resellers to replicate its presence outside Africa.
Mikko Kiukkanen, director of sales for Western Europe and Africa, Meru Networks, said: "We are big in voice over wireless in Japan, US, and also in Europe; we have not focused on the South African market for the past two years. However, we have been in VAR-recruitment mode since April."
Meru Networks signed a SA distribution agreement with Core Networks SA in May this year. "We have 200 resellers globally, with 10 to 20 integrator VARs in the Europe," Anton de Jager CEO of Core Networks said. "We want IP voice and wireless LAN resellers, and education and healthcare VARs."
De Jager said VARs will give Meru access to customer contacts, alongside integration skills.
"We focus at the high end of the wireless LAN sector, but we will become more mainstream," he said. "We enable voice over wireless, so for a VAR doing voice over IP, we can provide the wireless plumbing."
Meru competes with Cisco and a host of start-up firms, including Aruba and Trapeze, De Jager said.
Vanessa Loxton, sales and marketing Manager at Core Networks, said: "The Meru product is doing well. However, there is still an education process needed to show people the opportunities with vendors such as Meru.
"We have a few resellers, but voice over wireless is a high-margin opportunity for VARs. We want to get 15 to 20 VARs on board, provided that they are focused on Meru products."
Loxton added that Core Networks plans to run two-day training courses in the next quarter, alongside road shows to raise awareness in the channel.
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Meru Networks is the global leader in wireless infrastructure solutions that enable the all-wireless enterprise. Its industry-leading innovations deliver pervasive, wireless service fidelity for business-critical applications to major Fortune 500 enterprises, universities, healthcare organisations and local, state and federal government agencies. Meru`s award-winning Air Traffic Control technology brings the benefits of the cellular world to the wireless LAN environment, and its WLAN System is the only solution on the market that delivers predictable bandwidth and over-the-air quality of service with the reliability, scalability and security necessary to deliver converged voice and data services over a single WLAN infrastructure. Founded in 2002, Meru is based in Sunnyvale, California. For more information on Meru Networks and its products, visit www.merunetworks.com or call Jhb (011) 675 5409.
Core Networks
Core Networks was founded in 1992, as part of a group of companies and in 1996 became privately owned providing network solutions across South and Sub-Saharan Africa. Core Networks, from its headquarters in Roodepoort, has since established itself as a best of breed equipment importer offering end-to-end enterprise networking and communications solutions. For more information on Core, access www.corenetworks.co.za/