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Introducing our new Cloud & Collaboration business division

2 MINUTE READ
Announcements Cloud Infrastructure

Westcon-Comstor news

We’re pleased to announce the launch of our newly formed Cloud & Collaboration business division, headed up by Antony Byford (former UK&I MD) as the new division’s Vice President.

Research from Cavell Group indicates that by 2024, the total market value of cloud communications is forecast to exceed £1.9 billion in the UK alone. This market environment is exactly why we’ve launched this new Cloud & Collaboration division, to bring together dedicated specialists who understand the market from both a commercial and enablement perspective and so can better position both partners and vendors for success.

With over 30 years’ experience leading the market in this space, Westcon-Comstor brings a unique pedigree to its Cloud & Collaboration division. The Cloud & Collaboration team will have responsibility for vendor management and local execution, with vendors such as 8x8, Avaya, Microsoft, Mitel, Poly, Ringcentral and Spectralink already on board.

The team is comprised of sales personnel, business development managers, marketing, and pre/post-sales support, initially focussing on the UK&I, Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, and Italy. The overarching aim of the division is to support partners both from a commercial and a marketing perspective, creating cross-vendor upsell opportunities to stimulate growth.

“With the economy shifting to subscription models, and our vendors to recurring revenues, it became clear that we needed to change the way we work in this space”, said René Klein, Executive Vice President, Westcon Europe. “Cloud technology is in high demand, even more so thanks to the hybrid work evolution. By reinventing how we work with this particular vendor community, we’ll improve our support to partners and ensure their success.”

“The vendor landscape is complex, but we can help our partners succeed through integrations and synergies, helping them navigate ecosystems.” said Antony Byford, VP, Cloud & Collaboration.

“Partners need support operating within this new model, they’re hungry for the skills needed to take these new offers to market. They now need to manage their businesses differently thanks to the introduction of cloud billing systems and automation. Vendors need the channel community to help support their accelerated drive to these models and Westcon-Comstor is here to facilitate this. That’s the rationale for the new division - and I’m thrilled to be at the helm to lead it”.

Speaking on the new division Keith Jackson, VP International Channels at 8x8, said, “8x8 spent a lot of time looking for a true value-added distribution partner that could help us not only expand our footprint in the UK, but also help us with our expansion into Europe. We're truly excited about the dedicated focus of Westcon-Comstor’s new Cloud & Collaboration division and excited to see how it grows.”

Trevor von Puttkammer, Distribution Business Leader at Avaya International said, “Westcon is responding well to the very real transformation that the industry is seeing – one that requires channel leaders to work across the ecosystem as they adapt their go-to-market models to fit customer preferences. We see great opportunities to work with Westcon’s Cloud and Collaboration division to maximise our joint partners’ success in the midst of an economy shifting towards the subscription model. We’ve been working successfully with Westcon for many years, and we’re excited about the transformation that this new business unit can bring to our partners’ businesses. “

Daren Finney, Senior Vice President Global Channels at Mitel commented on the new division, “Mitel and pan-EMEA distributor Westcon share common views on the importance of providing flexibility and choice to support each customer’s needs today and their ambitions for the future. Mitel proposes a set of commercial and technological models, enabling end customers to modernise, expand or transition their communications infrastructure at their own pace. And Westcon is focused on the sole offering partners the choice from private cloud, subscriptions, UCaaS and on-premises solutions. Thus, it’s great to see the creation of the Westcon Cloud & Collaboration division with dedicated focus on these commercial models and we are looking forward to increase continuing our efforts in the EMEA region.”