NATD in the news
Avaya
Carrier market
Cistera
Market
NEC
Power
Resellers
Sun

NATD in the news

ScanSource creates an impact resellers can’t refuse
ScanSource, Inc. has announced a new series of business-altering, thought-provoking conferences called IMPACT NOW.  Designed to help resellers rise above the challenges having a direct impact on their business, IMPACT NOW will provide powerful educational content from channel experts and vendor executives, in addition to a solution-filled Expo floor, ample networking opportunities, and a pavilion dedicated to technologies of the future.  The first Conference is July 11, 2007 at the San Diego Convention Center.  In addition to the conference, ScanSource has also given its quarterly business magazine an overhaul.  Now also entitled IMPACT NOW, the magazine will deliver enhanced features that address issues relevant to resellers’ businesses, comprehensive vendor case studies and informational white papers.  The glossy magazine will also be filled with interviews with channel executives and ScanSource, Inc. representatives. 
Visit www.scansource.com or www.impactnowsandiego.com.
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Avaya

NETGEAR and Avaya team up
NETGEAR announced it would team with Avaya Inc. to define and deliver an IP telephony solution for small businesses of 20 users or less. The solution will feature the award-winning Avaya Quick Edition peer-to-peer technology, which holds down costs by eliminating the need for a central phone server or PBX. Instead, Avaya Quick Edition phones contain all the software needed for business-class communications. NETGEAR will provide the network infrastructure, including Smart Switches with power over Ethernet (PoE) capability that can remotely power Avaya phones. When supported by an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS), these switches can continue to power Avaya Quick Edition during a power outage. Built-in quality of service capabilities and a virtual local area network (VLAN) help to maintain good call quality, even during times of data traffic congestion. A NETGEAR VPN firewall provides a secure and seamless connection for teleworkers who need to link back to the main office. The NETGEAR-Avaya solution will be designed and bundled for easy deployment by value-added data resellers who are unfamiliar with IP telephony. Simple design templates and application notes will make it quick and easy to configure and install without any specialized training. With remote monitoring tools that support the solution, resellers will be able to offer cost-effective service options that can help businesses ensure reliable operation.
Visit www.avaya.com or www.netgear.com.
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Carrier market

Carrier VoIP equipment revenue down 8% in 1Q07
After growing 9% in the fourth quarter of 2006, the service provider next gen voice equipment market softened 8% in the first quarter of 2007, due mainly to a significant drop in media gateway sales, says Infonetics Research in its "Service Provider VoIP & IMS Equipment & Subscribers" report. All categories of next gen voice equipment tracked by Infonetics are up from this time a year ago in 1Q06, the report shows, but for the quarter, media gateways, media servers and voice application servers are all down. Bucking the trend, session border controllers (SBCs) and softswitches are both up. Market highlights include:

• The overall service provider next gen voice and IMS equipment market is forecast to more than double between 2006 and 2010, when it will reach $6.9 billion worldwide.

• Manufacturer revenue for IMS core equipment, including HSS and CSCF servers, is forecast to approach the half-billion mark by 2010.

• The number of worldwide residential and SOHO VoIP subscribers will grow to about 172 million in 2010.

• The combined media gateway and softswitch market totaled $717.3 million worldwide in 1Q07 with Nortel leading, followed by Siemens and then Sonus; Huawei pulled up to the 4th spot at the expense of Cisco, who dropped to 5th.

 Visit www.infonetics.com.
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Cistera

Cistera Networks takes solutions on the road
Cistera Networks, Inc. announced that Cistera is supporting a significant number of events this year in an effort to provide partners and customers with "hands on" demonstrations of the Cistera solutions. Cistera will be showcasing its award-winning Cistera ConvergenceServer (CCS), combined with its Event Alerting and Notification, Quality Assurance and Compliance and Unified Communication solutions, at AT&T's mini-trade series throughout the Southwest along with several other major events throughout the year. Some of the highlighted events include:

• Nortel Partner Global Connect Conference, June 10-13 in Tampa, Florida

• Sylantro Global Summit 2007, Sept. 30 - Oct. 2 in Las Vegas

• Cisco IP Telephony Users Group Conference, Oct. 29 - Nov. 1in Austin, Texas

• AT&T Customer Appreciation Events, May 8 - November 13 in cities throughout the Southwest U.S.

Visit www.cistera.com.
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Market

Chassis switches drag down Ethernet switch market
A market research report from Dell'Oro Group reveals that a substantial decline in chassis Ethernet switch revenues during the first quarter of 2007 resulted in the largest sequential decrease for the overall market in over five years. “We believe weakness in North American enterprise spending and vendor seasonality contributed to the drop in chassis switch revenue,” said Seamus Crehan, Senior Director of Ethernet Switch research at Dell’Oro Group. “In contrast, results in the stackable segment were relatively stable,” added Crehan. The modular (chassis) Ethernet switch market vendor rank by revenue:  Cisco, HP ProCurve, Nortel, and Foundry.
Visit www.DellOro.com.Back To Top

NEC

Digital Telecommunications Corp. announces Double Diamond Associate status with NEC
Digital Telecommunications Corp. (DTC), an exclusive NEC distributor for over 20 years, announced that it is now a Double Diamond Associate of NEC Unified Solutions' (NEC) Alliance Recognition Program. NEC Unified Solutions created the Alliance program to recognize Associates' sales achievements, business strengths and to solidify the partnership between Associates and NEC.  The Double Diamond status is a three-dimensional method of recognition, taking into account the Associate's relationship with NEC, its competitiveness in the marketplace, and overall technical expertise. Associates earn "points" for sales volumes, technical and application certifications, and percentage of NEC solutions within their business. By achieving Double Diamond status, the Associate is awarded benefits from NEC including special training and demos, designation on NEC's website and certain discounts and rebates.
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Power

Comprehensive line of surge suppressors released
Para Systems, Inc. announces a new line of surge suppressors.  The Minuteman surge suppressors can be categorized into the following four classifications:  rotating outlets, designed to alleviate the issue of plugging a number of multiple transformer “blocks” into a power strip without covering other outlets; child safety surge suppressors, designed to avoid shock from accidental contact with electrical power; ruggedized surge suppressors, designed to operate in harsh environments; and others.  All of the new surge suppressors are wall mountable, thus saving desk and floor space.  Several provide protection for coax, phone lines, fax lines and modem lines.  Para Systems includes full end-user support that includes toll-free technical service; the products are manufactured in accordance with RoHS guidelines.
Visit www.minutemanups.com.
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Resellers

Junction Networks’ Hosted PBX reseller program picks up steam
Junction Networks, a provider of next-generation SIP services, announced the company is launching a new white label product allowing resellers to offer Junction Networks’ VoIP platform via their own websites in an environment formatted to their unique branding schemes.  Junction Networks’ Hosted PBX reseller program allows resellers to purchase its services with no start-up costs, at a discount off direct retail prices, create custom packages and set their own prices for customers, including ‘per-seat’ fees if they so choose. Resellers who are not prepared to meet one of the four commitment levels can purchase individual packages at a discount rate and can scale up at any time.  This, along with the ability to customize packages for each client, enables the resellers to more effectively set and control their own profit margins as well as to serve customers with immediate needs and limited investment capital. The white label program will allow users to re-brand Junction Networks’ existing management portal, including graphics and color schemes, by submitting a custom style-sheet to be applied to Junction Networks’ functional portal. Resellers who already operate their own communications management portals can integrate all or part of Junction Networks’ portal through the web services open source API. This includes billing, call detail records and phone number databases.
Visit www.junctionnetworks.com.
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Sun

Computer dealer's association files complaint against Sun Microsystems with UK competition authority

The Association of Service and Computer Dealers International (“ASCDI”) filed a Complaint with the UK competition authority, the Office of Fair Trading, against Sun Microsystems UK Limited (“Sun”).  The Complaint seeks to reverse Sun policies that infringe UK competition law.

The Complaint concerns Sun's refusal to supply provenance information (i.e. product specific historical sales and distribution information) to independent resellers who resell Sun products in the UK.  Prior to 2006, like other computer equipment manufacturers, Sun had not interfered with the free trade of Sun products by independent resellers.  In 2006 however, Sun made the need for provenance information critical to the trade in its products in the UK, and elsewhere in the EU, under the guise of trademark protectionism.  It began a policy of refusing to provide such information whenever requested by independent resellers.  The ASCDI supports Sun's legitimate trademark rights but without Sun's cooperation, Sun has made it impossible to know whether a given Sun product is or has been placed on the EEA market with Sun's consent.

Prior to filing the Complaint, the ASCDI had made numerous direct requests to Sun for access to its provenance information and to resolve the issue, but to no avail.  Sun is the only major computer manufacturer challenging the importation of its products into the EEA. Provenance information is readily available from other manufacturers including IBM, HP and Cisco.  These manufacturers support free trade of their products and don't hide behind trademark protectionism to limit or eliminate competition in the trade of their products in the UK and in the EU.

The Complaint states that Sun's refusal to supply the provenance information interferes with free trade and is prohibited by UK competition law, specifically the Chapter II prohibition of the Competition Act 1998. Case law makes it clear that Sun is prohibited from using its authorized distribution system to create obstacles to the resale of its products outside its authorized distribution network. The Complaint also asserts that Sun's refusal to disclose provenance information -- and its threats of litigation to independent resellers who trade in Sun computers -- is resulting in diminished competition in the secondary market.  Some independent resellers have transitioned their businesses to other computer manufacturers, some have been left holding large inventories of Sun equipment they are or may be prohibited from selling, while others have gone out of business. A Summary of the Complaint is posted at www.ascdi.com.

Sun hits back at allegations

Sun has categorically denied that it acted in an anti-competitive way, as alleged by a reseller organization that issued a complaint against the vendor to the Office of Fair Trading (OFT). The ASCDI has claimed that Sun is stifling its UK second-hand equipment market by not providing VARs with enough product information. Sun’s policy is that it will only allow its products to be resold second-hand in the UK if they were originally sold in the European Union (EU). However, the only way of identifying whether a product was sold in the EU is by checking the serial number with Sun. The ASCDI has alleged that Sun has refused to pass on this information.

Joe Marion, president of the ASCDI, told CRN the organization has no problem with Sun trying to protect its trademark. “We have contention with the fact that Sun wants it both ways; claiming dealers cannot resell if it was sold outside of the EU originally, and then not telling us whether it was or not,” he said. “This makes us question the motives, is Sun trying to protect its trademark, or shut down the second-hand market?” However, Sun hit back in a statement obtained by CRN: “Sun’s policies actively encourage a vibrant market in second-hand products on a fair and lawful basis. Sun has not seen the complaint or been contacted by the OFT. Sun categorically denies that it is in any way acting in an anti-competitive manner or that its actions amount to an abuse of any dominant market position.”

Sun was recently paid a £450,000 settlement by VAR Amtec over an alleged grey market dispute. However, Sun agreed to check the origin of Amtec’s future stock when requested, as part of the settlement.
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