Fujitsu Siemens Computers (FSC) has kicked off an aggressive channel push in the storage arena in response to the technology’s recent traction among SMEs.

Alongside the launch of a new SAN bundle designed for SME customers, FSC is running a series of VAR training days around its entry-level FibreCAT SX tape drives.

By the end of the summer it expects to have 100 resellers trained up as it looks to boost its share of the UK SME SAN market from two to five per cent over the next 12 months.

Sean Haffey, product marketing manager for storage and Unix products at FSC, said: “While the NAS market has declined in value over the past year in the UK, the SAN market has doubled. But more importantly, we’re seeing smaller companies looking at SAN for the first time.

“However, SAN is seen as being a bit tricky, that’s why we’re making it easier for people to take the first step and ramping up training for resellers.”

The SME SAN bundle, which FSC has dubbed ‘My very first SAN’, includes back-up software, tape automation products and a carrying case.

Haffey said SAN is in demand among firms “gravitating towards the ‘M’ of SME” because they have often outgrown their infrastructures.

Paul Hickingbotham, solutions manager at storage distributor Hammer, said: “If you ask people to name a tier-one storage brand, FSC isn’t the first name that rolls off the tongue, so it is an ideal play for it to make a name for itself in this market.

“Having said that, the SME market is much more established than the tier-one vendors might think it is. Hammer has been selling SAN to SMEs under its V2 brand for more than 10 years.”

David Galton-Fenzi, group sales director at distributor Zycko, said: “There is a huge amount of potential in the SME market that remains untapped.”

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