Advice for Nortel Enterprise Customers and the VARs Who Support Them
Nortel’s bankruptcy filing has broad impact across the infotainment industry. Especially impacted are the many customers of Nortel’s Enterprise Division and, in turn, the VARs who provide and support those systems. First, don’t panic! Even though the reaction in both these camps is likely panic … what happens to the UC – VoIP – TDM system that runs my (or my customers’) business?
Fortunately there is no need to panic. Fortunately, almost all of the business communications systems from Nortel have been sold/provided/maintained by VARs. And these independent VARs are not part of the bankruptcy filing and their businesses, while impacted by Nortel’s filing, will continue. And the customers and VARs will best succeed - tomorrow by working together – today - to guide their way through the uncertainty and likely upheavals that will likely occur, with regards to the Nortel system.
We’ll certainly see, over the coming weeks and months, that Nortel’s business assets will be re-structured. The business may be sold as a whole or in parts. But, in any case, the large global base of Nortel’s Enterprise business customers is valuable to potential acquirers and certainly to the VARs supporting the customers today. Spares for repair should remain available, remote support for problems will certainly continue and, to some degree future commitments will be honored.
So, a first step is for the customers to contact their VARs – or vice-versa – the VARs contact their customers to arrange a meeting where both parties can openly and honestly discuss the situation and begin to develop a plan going forward. Customers and their VARs will have the most influence on the outcomes of their situations. So, begin today – make the call – and begin to develop a plan.
Over the next days and weeks I’d be interested in hearing from Nortel Customers and VARs about the early steps being developed in their plans and will share them with you here, periodically. Please contact me at david.yedwab@mktstrategy-analytics.com.