SMC Networks Rebrands its Business Solution Group
The spinoff Edgecore Networks, SMC says, will better help the company’s partners position it.
The Spinoff of the Business Solution Group of SMC Networks and rebranding of the solutions for the SMB and Enterprise Markets Addresses the Growing Issue of Brand Confusion Caused by the Growth and Success of SMC in Both the SOHO Networking and SMB/e Networking Solutions Businesses
SMC Networks, a provider of networking solutions for the SMB market, is spinning off its popular Business Solution Group (BSG) with a new company, Edgecore Networks Inc.
Edgecore Networks will continue to focus on the SMB markets under the new brand name, but will still be a subsidiary of Accton Technology. The spin off and name change, which is the first in the company’s 33-year history, will be officially launched at Interop 2009.
According to a corporate press release, the changes reflect a desire on the company’s part to “rebuild brand legacy in the reseller channel while providing a strategy designed to deliver a clearer message to the channel regarding the company’s business segments and market focuses.
SMC Networks says it reached this decision as the company dealt with issues of brand confusion created by the company’s Service Provider Group, which provides networking solutions to consumers via service providers, and the Business Solution Group, which delivers switching solutions to companies in the growing SMB markets.
“A valuable lesson that we learned seven years ago, when our brand was growing in various markets, was not to confuse our customers and partners,” explains Keith Alexis, vice president of sales for SMC (BSG) and general manager of Edgecore Networks.
“This decision was completely driven with the needs of our channel, our technology partners, and user base in mind,” Alexis adds. He says that as the market evolved and SMC continued its aggressive level of growth over the last several years, the company found itself being asked by its channel partners to clarify their branding positions. “One day we’re part of the fastest supercomputer in the world, and the next we’re releasing a new consumer router,” Alexis explains. “This made it difficult for partners to position us.”
Though new to North America, SMC’s Edgecore brand was launched four years ago in the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) as well as Africa and parts of Asia with a goal of enabling the company to “understand the developing markets and test their ability to sell and support higher-end networking solutions,” states a recent Edgecore Networks press release.
Some of those networking solutions include Metro Ethernet, Wi-Max, Performance Switching, and Edge Switching. While Edgecore Networks will not ship Wi-Max into the US market, they will launch a new enterprise wireless solution in Q2 2010.
To ensure customer satisfaction, the company says it has made substantial investments, including the purchase of a new software house dedicated to ensuring that the software platforms incorporated into Edgecore’s solutions are both capable and innovative. In addition, a Network Management Software company was purchased which provides Edgecore with a full suite of management tools that offers channel partners more installation options and decreased costs, while creating greater opportunities for add-on sales, services and increased margins.
