OREANDA-NEWS. June 13, 2012. According to its strategy of VAD distribution, MERLION launched a number of learning seminars devoted to software. The goal of these seminars is to increase the competence of the partners which work on software market and to provide them with additional opportunities for development of their software business, reported the press-centre of MERLION. 

In 2011 MERLION defined VAD distribution as one of its strategic priorities. For the development of this direction, the distributor makes huge investments not only into range expansion but also into the competence increase of the partners. Main object of the investments is the partners development, increase of their skills and marginality of their business. In order to complete this task MERLION has launched in 2012 a number of learning seminars called Soft Club. These software seminars are aimed at partners engaged in the supply of software solutions to corporate clients and to SMB clients.

The main task of these meetings with partners is to increase their competence and to support growth of their business. To that effect there are not only producers presentations in the events schedule, but also a number master-classes devoted to the distinctive features of software sales and selection of optimal solutions according to the needs of the client. The teaching is carried out by professional trainers of MERLION Competence Center which have a wealth of experience in sales trainings which they adapt to the software market. MERLION is the largest Russian IT-distributor and has substantial resources at its disposal, not just financial resources, but also personnel, engineering and technical resources. And it is distributor's duty to provide partners with these resources in order to increase their competence, in order to train their workers and also to support them to make an optimal offer to the client.

Software market in Russia showed a sustained growth during the crisis period which proves that this business is very promising.

This is particularly well seen in the fields of information security and infrastructure solutions. And there is a reason for it - all these products can ensure stability and effectiveness of the client's infrastructure, help them minimize the costs and increase the overall effectiveness of their business. This also defined composition of "Soft Club`2012" organizers among which there are internationally recognized leaders in these fields: Microsoft, Symantex, Veeam, VMware.

Seminars "Soft Club`2012" have already been held in Krasnoyarsk, Nizhny Novgorod and Omsk. Seminars in Kazan and Irkutsk are on schedule.

Conducting VAD training seminars is one of the most important elements of the general plan of MERLION to develop its own VAD channel. Results of 2011 showed the efficiency of the policy carried out: last year MERLION increased the sales of Enterprise segment equipment and software by 60%, and the network of partners, which buy this equipment from the distributor, doubled.

MERLION intends to further develop VAD distribution and make big investments into the development of its partnership network.