Dimension Data has formed two new subsidiary business units to sell its core networking product set into the commercial and mid-markets.
Group CEO, Brett Dawson, said the move tied into its global strategy to grow its customer base in the medium-sized business sector.
Despite maintaining a strong enterprise business, and boosting half-yearly earnings by 15.4 per cent, the company was keen to tap into the lucrative mid-level, he said.
Dawson said the new initiative came from Australia but would be rolled out globally across its 36 other country offices if it proved successful. The local market accounted for a significant 20 per cent of group earnings, he said.
Dimension Data CEO, Steve Nola, said it had established two teams of 12 sales and pre-sales staff for the mid-market push, with numbers expected to grow to 20 in each by year-end.
The majority were external appointments, he said.
The mid-market team, focusing on the 100- to250-seat market, is headed by former Express Online boss David Gage; the commercial team, focusing on the 250- to 1000-seat level, is led by Chris De Beyer.
Nola said he expected the units to show profitability within a year.
DiData's new mid-market strategy involved a very different approach from its traditional enterprise space, he said.
"The one-size-fits-all approach does not work and the customer experience is very different so our go-to-market strategy has to be different," he said. Packaging core offerings for smaller markets was a key strategy, Nola said.
"Our network in a box approach includes server, security and IP telephony; and we are also looking at licensing packages," he said.
Consulting fees were another area that would be scaled towards the new market, Nola said.