Power management vendor CyberPower Systems has extended its existing deal with distributor Tech Data to include Canada, adding to its distribution network in this country.

CyberPower, which manufactures power management solutions including uninterruptable power supply systems, power distribution units, and surge protectors, will be included in Tech Data’s Advanced Infrastructure Solutions (AIS) unit. That suggests Tech Data will be targeting the data centre, although Paul Wilkinson, director of product management at Tech Data Canada, said CyberPower’s reach is much broader than that.

“They have good recognition in the data centre space, but their products also look at opportunities in SMB, and with home users, including prosumer and SOHO markets,” Wilkinson said. “They’re trying to hit the gamut, and that makes sense because it’s a fairly competitive market on both ends.”

Wilkinson described the latest power solutions vendor to sign on with Tech Data Canada as taking a “balanced approach,” with a focus on research and development and product innovation, backed up with a higher-than-average three-year warranty program. He said their channel program does a good job of educating, enabling and incenting partners from the enterprise to the SMB space, with solid deal registration even down to SMB-sized deals, access to demo and NFR units to learn on, and “good rebates for resellers who participate in their Smart Partner Program.”

“They’ve got a very comprehensive offering to support the channel,” Wilkinson said.

Although Tech Data Canada is just starting to get the word out about the new vendor, the deal has been in place for about a month now, and Wilkinson said even before the distributor started its major push of the products to resellers, it’s seeing success with the new line. “It’s been fairly quick to get those first few sales, those revenues out of the gate,” he said.

Wilkinson said the distributor is still getting the word out internally, and from there it will focus on spreading that to its reseller base. The distributor already has extensive distribution deals with major power protection vendors, so this is a signing that falls into the category of linecard diversification.

“It’s not a big bang type of opportunity, it’s one that will progress nicely, though, as Tech Data customers recognize a good offering and engage,” Wilkinson said. “It will drive growth for us and for them.”