To help strengthen its communications division, Westan has become a local distributor for IP telephony provider, ShoreTel.
Westan director of business communications, Patrick Micallef, said the vendor's Pure IP telephony system would enable resellers to meet a broader range of customer needs.
"Every customer has a different set of requirements. The ShoreTel system has a range of features that we feel will be attractive to our existing partner base, which come from a PABX background and are looking to shift to selling VoIP," he said. "For us it is a major milestone and I believe that between ShoreTel and Westan we will be set to become a major player in the IP telephony market."
Micallef claimed the new range would also open up unique channels for its partners within the enterprise space.
"A lot of PABX resellers have been holding onto legacy systems waiting for a viable VoIP solution and we think this is going to answer that requirement," he said.
Micallef aims to double Westan's partner base within the next year. It currently has about 10 -20 active resellers.
"We will be looking to carefully complement our existing resellers in areas where they are not as strong," he said.
ShoreTel managing director South East Asia, Tony Warhurst, said the distribution deal would expand its local market coverage.
"We have been in discussions with Westan for a while and they have got a communications division that they were looking to expand and push into the market place with," he said.
Warhurst will focus on market areas where ShoreTel doesn't have strong coverage such as WA, SA and rural NSW, Victoria and Queensland.