Express Data on growth curve with new agencies

Forms partnership with Provoke to capitalise on cloud opportunities

By Amanda Sachtleben and Hamish Barwick, Auckland | Thursday, 29 July 2010
Express Data has inked a formal agreement as a distributor of Microsoft’s BPOS (the Business Productivity Online Suite), and has signed a new contract with communications hardware vendor Jabra.

General manager of sales and marketing, Paul Plester, says the distributor has been gearing up for the BPOS distributorship, because it already offers Microsoft’s SPLA (service provider licence agreement).

“BPOS is tremendously exciting,” he says. “We look at Microsoft online services as the next evolution of software. Non-perpetual licensing and pay-as-you go is how all software will be purchased in future.”

Express Data is well positioned to help companies evolve to this model, because it has experience with managing monthly billing and non-perpetual licensing.

The distributor has also extended its relationship with reseller Provoke, with which it was already working on Microsoft’s SPLA.

Microsoft has endorsed the partnership, and the two companies plan a joint road show in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch in September or October, says Express Data business division manager Louis Nunn.

“This will comprise educational seminars to at least 150 resellers across the country. Pending adoption of online services by the resellers, we’ll look at running more road shows next year.”

Nunn says Express Data’s resellers will get access to cloud offerings from other vendor partners, including Kaspersky, Citrix and M86 Security.

Provoke CEO Mason Pratt says both companies hope Microsoft sees the partnership between Provoke and Express Data as a case study for rollout into other countries.

“Provoke has long-term plans to establish an Australian presence and we see this partnership as a potential beachhead.”

Express Data was approached by Jabra to join the vendor’s distribution roster, says Plester, adding the brand fits well with the Microsoft communication and collaboration technology the company already offers.

Other local Jabra distributors are Cackle Communications and Westcon.