Intel and Hammer Announce Major Storage Server Agreement

In the second major development since it announced a management buyout earlier this year, leading storage specialist, Hammer has confirmed an agreement to distribute the Intel EPSD (Enterprise Platform and Services Division) range of server products in the UK.

Following a successful six-month period as an affiliate distributor, Intel has appointed Hammer as a Server Value-Added Distributor (SVAD), enabling it to buy Intel server products direct. At Hammer, we have extensive experience of this important sector, confirms managing director, James Ward, as we have been manufacturing storage servers for the white box market for the past 10 years.

Servers have thus formed an integral part of our business for many years. However, the agreement with Intel, the worlds leading server brand, provides the perfect springboard for us to increase our share of what is a rapidly growing market.

In order to cope with the additional demand and continue to provide class-leading technical support and advice, Hammer has invested in a 5,000 sq ft production and proof-of-concept centre at its Basingstoke site. We have already seen notable growth in our storage server business as a result of working with Intel and fully expect this to continue, he confirms.

Adding value: warranty, maintenance and disposal

Hammers Storage Products Division will sell the complete range of Intel server products individually or as complete server component packs to those customers wishing to build their own server. At the same time, the Storage Solutions Division will sell comprehensive storage solutions incorporating custom-built Intel servers.

Hammer will offer a full maintenance and warranty service for server component packs and server solutions, adding real value to the channel sale. Resellers and integrators can find out more by speaking to their Hammer account manager.

Parallel to this, in addressing the impending impact of the European WEEE Directive - due to come into force at the end of the year - Hammer has partnered with Life Cycle Services Ltd and government-owned Remploy to provide the highest quality ethical and environmental redundant IT equipment advance disposal services.

This WEEE Directive compliance package will come as standard with all Intel-based server solutions and will be an optional extra with the Intel-based server component packs.

For John Bainbridge, OEM, distribution & sales manager UK & Ireland at Intel, these represent just two examples of a uniquely proactive approach to business development which makes Hammer stand out as a strong storage partner. Hammer has impressive technical expertise coupled with a real understanding of the business problems which organisations face today, he confirms.

They also work with a select portfolio of leading vendors, which means that our Intel servers will form part of powerful total storage solutions which meet the identified needs of the customer in each case. In short, Hammer is the ideal distributor to help us drive strong sales growth in the dynamic storage server market.

Benefits for all

Ward also sees the new relationship as delivering major benefits to Hammers existing channel. For our vendor partners - all market leaders in their own right working with Intel will provide additional opportunities in new markets, he says.

Similarly, both for Hammer and our reseller partners, it will significantly enhance our ability to offer complete storage and server solutions. This is especially important looking ahead, as SAN deployment is no longer the exclusive domain of large corporations but is now a realistic option for small and medium sized businesses.