Networks and networking have been the cornerstones of Comztek’s growth over the years. By specialising in this niche sector of the IT arena, Comztek is well placed to deliver a ‘best of breed’ service to resellers in terms of products, solutions and support for all networks - from complex mission critical solutions to products specifically tailored to the SMB market

Recently, Comztek identified the ‘mainstreaming’ of voice and data convergence as a major trend in the IT arena. In line with its positioning as a trend setter in IT distribution, and its commitment to enabling resellers to deliver the best holistic solutions to their customers, Comztek’s Networks Business Unit has expanded its focus to deliver converged telecommunications solutions which deliver voice and data over a single network. This complements its traditional focus on data networks and enables data network resellers to develop their businesses by providing their customers with an end-to-end service, enhanced skills and more flexible implementations.

At the same time, Comztek has recognised that integrated, sophisticated networks can no longer be regarded as the preserve of large public or private sector enterprises. Demand for quality, stable and converged networks is growing within the so-called SME (small, medium enterprise) sector, with its collectively enormous buying power. Comztek is expanding its product and support offerings to enable resellers to capitalise on this rapidly growing market and provide solutions that deliver real value to their customers.

Products across three key areas:

1.Data networks – 3Com, Cisco, Intel, Nortel and Netshield

2.Telecoms/converged networks – Intel, Netshield, Nortel and Siemens

3.SME sector – Cisco, 3Com and Nortel

In addition, Comztek distributes Packeteer’s leading solutions for application acceleration, WAN optimisation, monitoring and quality of service (QoS), as well as branch office service consolidation. Packeteer analyses network traffic, up to application level, to determine what is running. It then shapes the traffic, giving priority to mission critical applications and keeping data moving at the speed of business.

Training

For resellers to succeed in rolling out complete solutions that deliver value, it is critical for their skills to be constantly updated. The Networks Business Unit has invested heavily in a number of initiatives designed to educate resellers as well as equip them to provide ongoing support to their customers. The Unit maintains access to vendor-certified skills sets in all areas, making them available to resellers from pre-sales all the way through to after-sales support.

Services and Support

The Unit's dedicated product experts and technical specialists are certified to provide resellers and their customers with a complete analysis and consultation around their communications requirements.

Support offerings include:

Network Design:

The product specialists of the Networks Business Unit are able to provide resellers and their customers with analysis, consultation and resultant network designs required to implement the best possible communications solution.

Technical Support:

Each technical specialist at Comztek has completed extensive local and international product training, and is an expert in his or her field. Comztek invests heavily in the training of these professionals, supplementing the need for the reseller to employ the necessary skills to support the products in their customer base. Due to economies of scale, the costs are far lower than if the reseller were to employ these skills independently.

Prepping:

A plug-and-go configuration service for resellers which can be extended to implementation of the network at the customer site.

Proof of concept testing:

A test lab has been established where products can be put through their paces in a live working environment. It demonstrates to resellers’ customers that what is being proposed is, in fact, deliverable.

SLAs:

1.Backup Service Agreement

Comztek holds backup stock on behalf of the reseller at its warehouses in Midrand, KwaZulu-Natal and Cape Town. This is available to the reseller on a 24-hour basis – essential for mission critical networks. All backup stock is available to resellers on a full ‘swap out and keep’ or on a ‘loan while repaired’ basis, even if the equipment was not procured from Comztek or if the equipment is out of warranty.

2.Skills Service Agreement

The reseller has access to expert advice and technical assistance for installations and configurations through to full project management of a site and after sales support.

3.Support Line

The Support Line is available to resellers with valid SLAs on a 24-hour basis through a toll-share number. All calls are assessed and, where necessary, a relevant technical specialist is dispatched.

3Com Service Centre:

Provides a swap out service for faulty 3Com equipment. Faulty goods under warranty can simply be brought to the Service Centre, where replacement units will be issued.