No change in Visio distribution, says Workgroup

It's distribution as normal, says Visio distributor Workgroup, the specialist software company in the Siltek IT Supply Chain Group, despite Microsoft's recent acquisition of Visio Corporation.

Shandu Davhana, the Visio product manager at Workgroup, reassures dealers and resellers that nothing in the distribution chain will change, except that Visio product sales will now be handled by Microsoft product manager at Workgroup, Tracy Bolton.

"As from February 17, we will be authorised to purchase and distribute all Microsoft-branded Visio products, and these will physically be available for shipment from Microsoft on March 17," Bolton explains.

"All customer needs between these dates will be met out of inventory of Visio product held by distributors in the channel." more... From February 17, Visio products will also be available through the Microsoft Open License Program.

Microsoft will not include Visio products in Office Standard, Office Small Business Edition, Office Professional or Office Premium but they will rather be sold standalone.

"The Visio product offering perfectly complements Microsoft's current offering of business productivity applications," Bolton says.

"At the foundation of every Visio product is a common graphics engine and set of intelligent diagramming tools called the Visio platform. The core features of the Visio platform include ease of use, a streamlined work environment, enterprise-wide diagramming, Microsoft Office integration, and rich Internet support. Because all Visio Editions share the same graphics platform, users throughout an enterprise can easily create, store, and share information visually."

The Visio family includes Standard Edition, designed for business professionals; Technical Edition for engineers; Professional Edition for IT professionals; and Enterprise Edition for IT specialists.