To get the best deals, from companies such as Cisco, companies such as NCR make ambitious volume commitments they can t fulfil. RBR was so successful greying Cisco that the vendor had no choice but it into line by giving it distribution rights. Who knows any deal between RBR and DataTec could be brokered by Cisco itself. Bringing RBR under the DataTec wing could also have a lot of merits for DataTec. DataTec already has a wealth of Cisco expertise through its Logical Networks reselling arm.
Cisco is the nonpareil of networking franchises.
And without it, Unity will remain a second division player. With Cisco, DataTec will really start motoring - especially at a time when market leader Azlan has stumbled so badly. RBR has a pretty cool business, judging from the last set of annuals. The company also operates an ISP business, called Star Internet. Based in the carrot-cruncher country of Gloucestershire, RBR s 30 or so staff are rather less vulnerable to poaching than networking sales and support staff working for companies based in Wokingham, Chessington or Slough.