Services come to the rescue for Compaq

Keen to continue feeding growing service revenues, Compaq has introduced a new total cost of ownership (TCO) assessment service and channel partner program.

With the top end of the services market pretty well saturated, Compaq Services has set its sights on the small-to-medium enterprise (SME) market to attain its service revenue growth targets.

Away from the retail and PC pressures being experienced by the organisation, Pathy Pathmanaban, Compaq Australia's services director, last week spoke of 36 per cent year-on-year growth for the entire Australian services division in Q3.

This stands up well against the worldwide figure for the same three months which showed just 7 per cent increase while Pathmanaban indicated that `at least 25 per cent' of services revenues were generated through the channel.

Cris Nicolli, director, Compaq professional services, announced there was a new program designed to market professional services through the channel. As part of its push to capture a share of the SME market that is now looking for services, Nicolli said his division recognises the role value-added resellers play in this space.

The channel is currently earning `about 10 per cent' of professional services revenues for Nicolli's group, he said, but that is expected to become as high as 40-50 per cent as SMEs start to embrace Compaq's service offerings.

Compaq's new Solution Partner Program is designed to facilitate the delivery of `complete enterprise business solutions' utilising Compaq technologies and those of its partners.

Three solutions partners have already been appointed, Avnet/Integrand, Data#3 and GE Capital IT Solutions. They are selling managed desktop solutions mainly built around Compaq hardware and services and Computer Associates software. Early commitment has also been made to Windows 2000.

`It has taken a little while for us to get here, but it has been worth the wait,' Nicolli said of the new channel program. `It is a major step for Compaq. It shows we are prepared to work with he channel.

`I wouldn't say it is bulletproof, but it is a good offering.'

Meanwhile, Pathmanaban announced Compaq's intention to launch a TCO service in response to customer demand and its observation that there is considerable confusion and misinformation circulating about true lifecycle technology costs.

`We want to formalise the understanding of TCO by our customers and that can then become a service we can offer,' Pathmanaban said.

Compaq bases its evolving TCO service around a GartnerGroup methodology which takes into account capital and labour-intensive technology costs from four lifecycle stages of acquisition: deployment, management, support and retirement. By Gerard Norsa

Join the newsletter!

Or

Sign up to gain exclusive access to email subscriptions, event invitations, competitions, giveaways, and much more.

Membership is free, and your security and privacy remain protected. View our privacy policy before signing up.

Error: Please check your email address.

More about CA TechnologiesCompaqCompaq ServicesData#3GE Capital AustraliaIntegrandTech Data Technology Solutions

Show Comments
[]