Storage and networking vendor Buffalo will embark on a campaign to recruit up to 150 new Australian channel partners over the next 12 months as part of new strategy which will see the company aggressively target small-to medium businesses and security system integrators.
Recognised as the leading total PC peripheral manufacturer in Japan, Buffalo has been the worldwide consumer NAS market leader since 2005[1]. This strategy has been developed following significant investment in local operations and builds on the success that Buffalo has enjoyed in Australian retail with its consumer range of products, including portable hard drives, network-attached storage devices, routers and other associated peripherals.
National business manager Boris Shen joined Buffalo in October, bringing with him more than 10 years of experience gained in the IT channel through similar roles with Iomega, LaCie, Ingram Micro and Harris Technology. Shen has been charged with driving Buffalo’s growth in the SMB market and expanding its relationships with Australian IT resellers. Currently Buffalo is working with 40 channel partners, but Shen says it aims for 150 channel partners within the next year.
“While Buffalo’s consumer product range continues to perform with CE retailers, its portfolio also includes a range of storage and networking solutions which meet the needs of businesses up to 100 seats. For example, Buffalo’s TeraStation NAS devices are recognised for their reliability and scalability and are specifically designed to bring enterprise storage to the SMB. As the IT systems of these businesses become more sophisticated, these high performance devices are perfectly positioned as they offer good value for customers while maintaining margin for the reseller,” said Shen.
“Product range and margins aside, Buffalo has been working hard over the past six months to become the preferred storage and networking partner for Australian IT resellers. In Dicker Data and Uniden Buffalo has two of the most established names in retail and channel distribution, we have opened a local product support centre and are building a portfolio of resources which aim to provide resellers with a range of sales and marketing tools to help them acquire customers and build revenue,” he said.
One of these tools is a newly developed channel partner portal on the Buffalo website which can be accessed at the link below. To support channel partners in offering more value to their customers, for a limited time Buffalo will bundle in a free Buffalo switch valued at $300 with every TeraStation deployed.
“Buffalo currently partners with 40 Australian resellers, but it has set its sights on many more. It’s an ambitious plan, but I am confident that with the right programs in place, we can make it happen. For the first time, Buffalo will have a stand at CeBIT in Sydney this year so I invite resellers to stop by, see the latest products and hear what Buffalo can offer,” said Shen.
In addition to SMBs, security system integrators will be another key target market for Buffalo over the next 12 months. Shen points to the continued growth in the video surveillance market as the reason behind the new focus. He says Buffalo is well positioned to work with security system integrators because its products already have a strong reputation for reliability and redundancy in the storage of digital footage.
“IMS Research predicts that demand for video surveillance equipment will remain strong in 2012, with network video equipment sales estimated to grow by 25 percent[2]. While the threat of terrorism and crime are driving government and business spending in video surveillance, the entire market is shifting from analog to IP-based systems which will continue to bolster sales,” he said.
In the past six months alone, Buffalo’s Australian operations have been transformed with the business affirming its commitment to the marketplace through the appointment of a national business manager, establishing a product support centre to manage warranty and technical enquiries, and forming of a number of new strategic relationships including a distribution agreement with Dicker Data which complements the long-standing partnership Buffalo maintains with Uniden.
For sales enquiries call Dicker Data on 1800 688 586 or email at the link below .
[1] Worldwide Consumer Network-Attached Storage, In-Stat 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
[2] The World Market for CCTV and Video Surveillance, IMS Research 2011
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