OnLine Distribution re-brands as Westcon Middle East, eyes $40bn MEA ICT markets

The move reflects the company's expanding emerging markets and global capabilities as well as its affiliation with Westcon Group, a multinational specialty distributor of Information Convergence Technology products servicing solution providers, integrators and the value-add reseller community.

The newly-formed Westcon Middle East brings together the leading names in networking to the Middle East, Western Asia and North Africa. Westcon Middle East Group Managing Director Steve Lockie clarifies that the company has in basic terms simply orchestrated a brand change, leaving its legal and ownership structures intact. He assures that the organization will maintain the same Terms and Conditions embodied in its existing client contracts under the former OnLine Distribution banner.

Westcon Middle East remains part of the Westcon Emerging Markets group, reporting directly and funded by Datatec, also Westcon Group's parent, thus maintaining the company's current market strategies and support.

"On the face of things this is a simple brand change but in reality it brings the true power and presence of Westcon Group to the market. We brought the first phase of these to the region in our sister company Comstor just over a year ago and already resellers will be seeing our new brand and marketing tools rolling out. Just this week our Eid greetings piloted the introduction of 'MailVision' our reseller awareness tool, there's a whole lot more to follow. Given today's challenging markets we continue to be convinced that it is correct to capitalize on the opportunities offered by high-growth areas in the Middle East and emerging economies such as Africa and India,"

said Lockie

"What we have engineered is a change in corporate perspective for the future; but what we have retained is our commitment to offering leading products, services and programmes that meet the diverse needs of our valued clients. We assure our present and future partners of the same levels of quality and service that have made us a leader in networking & communications, security, infrastructure and mobility distribution," added Lockie.

Westcon Middle East's specialized Business Unit Division offers customers sales, marketing and technical expertise specific to the requirements of channel partners. The divisions provide products, services and solutions for networking infrastructure, mobility, convergence, security and wireless. The change in corporate identity and image is a welcome development given the expected sustained increase in IT spending throughout the region.

Expenditures in the Middle East and Africa are expected to surpass $40bn in 2008, with the Gulf accounting for 23% of the total. The Gulf is projected to hike its IT spend an average of 14 to 15% annually for the next three years, or three to four times the annual GDP rate in the region.

Westcon's partner in the Middle East include 3Com, ADC Krone, APC, APW, Ascom, Austin Hughes, Avaya, Avocent, Chatsworth Products Inc, Eaton, Extreme Networks, Juniper Networks, Meru Networks, Motorola, Nortel, Oneil, Ortronics, Proxim, Sonicwall, Trend Micro and Zebra.