Empresas y finanzas

Westcon Group Acquires Assets of ReView Video, Chicago-Based Distributor of IP-Video and Audio Conferencing Equipment



    Westcon Group, Inc., the leading specialty distributor in
    networking, convergence, security, and mobility, announced that its
    subsidiary Westcon Group North America, Inc. has acquired the assets
    of Chicago, IL-based ReView Video, LLC, a distributor of audio,
    network, videoconferencing and VoIP solutions. As a result of the
    acquisition, Westcon Group is now one of Polycom's largest global
    distributors through the acquisition of ReView's U.S. and U.K. rights
    in addition to Westcon's recent Polycom launch in Australia. Polycom
    is the worldwide leader in integrated video, voice and content
    solutions that deliver the ultimate collaborative experience for
    companies and organizations of any size.

    By acquiring ReView, Westcon increases its ability to integrate
    collaborative, IP-based video products and services into its
    world-class portfolio of convergence, security and mobility related
    solutions. With Review's industry leading maintenance program entitled
    Gold Seal, Westcon also gains a strong foothold in the areas of
    service and technical support for videoconferencing solutions.
    According to report by U.S. based researcher Frost & Sullivan, the
    market for conferencing and collaboration will reach over $2.5 billion
    by 2009.

    Anthony Daley, executive vice president and general manager of the
    Americas, Westcon Group, commented. "Enterprise and mid-tier companies
    are realizing new efficiencies and cost savings through the use of IP
    video conferencing and other collaborative applications--these are no
    longer 'early adopter' communication mediums. Through this acquisition
    and our strengthened position with Polycom, we intend to help both new
    and existing resellers build on their success in this emerging
    market."

    The purchase of ReView marks Westcon Group's third acquisition so
    far this year. In April it acquired NOXS, the leading European
    security distributor, and in May it acquired Crane Telecommunications,
    making it Avaya's leading European distributor. The ReView acquisition
    enables Westcon Group to deliver collaborative, IP-based solutions to
    its entire multi-national customer base while providing new customers
    with access to the financial strength and scale of operations that
    only an internationally successful distributor can provide.

    "We have been very successful delivering IP and video conferencing
    solutions to our customers for well over a decade," said Timothy
    Gelman, former CEO of ReView and now vice president and general
    manager of Westcon Group North America. "When you combine our strength
    in IP-based video conferencing products and services with Westcon
    Group's focused technology solutions and operational infrastructure,
    this represents an enormous opportunity for customers."

    David Phillips, Polycom's sr. vice president of worldwide sales,
    added: "This acquisition is excellent news for Polycom and the
    convergence-oriented reseller channel. Westcon is well positioned to
    deliver collaborative video-conferencing solutions and will be able to
    identify opportunities both across technologies and across its various
    business practices. The expanded relationship with Westcon in the U.S.
    makes them one of our largest distributors worldwide."

    About Westcon Group

    Westcon Group, Inc. is the leading specialty distributor in
    networking, security, mobility and convergence for leading technology
    vendors, including Cisco, Nortel and Avaya, Inc. Through its Westcon,
    Comstor and Voda One business practices, Westcon Group sells products
    and services to resellers, systems integrators and service providers.
    Westcon Group has particular expertise in the convergence of voice,
    data and video applications and technologies, including voice-over
    Internet protocol, or VoIP, security for networking and communications
    systems, remote access, Internet and e-business, virtual private
    networks, videoconferencing and wireless connectivity. For more
    information, visit www.westcongroup.com.