"India needs a strong communications platform"

Avientek FZCO, based in Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO), is a leading value-added distributor of audio-visual solutions and unified communications in the Middle East, Africa, and the Indian subcontinent

It recently partnered with Mitel, the Canada-based global leader in business communications, founded in 1973. The two companies hosted a four-city roadshow in India, across Bangalore, Chennai, New Delhi, and Mumbai in February 2023. Asif Khan, Channel Director for Middle East and Africa, Mitel, and Vm manu, GM, Avientek, spoke about their collaboration in an interview with Pradeep Chakraborty. Excerpts:

Tell us more about this partnership between Mitel and Avientek.

Asif Khan (AK): Mitel was looking for a strategic partnership for distribution when we started the India operation. We had the objective to find the right partner, who can also add value.

We wanted a partner with good knowledge of the channel model, pre-sales support, operations and logistics efficiency, and credit and financing. We analysed several potential partners in India, looking at their models and value proposition. The partner had to represent Mitel in India. Avientek had all the necessary ingredients for driving the regional strategy with a global mindset.

Vm manu (Vmm): Avientek is well-known in the distribution industry, especially in the AV and extended segments. We have partnered with many companies across the region. Today, differentiation among AV, telecom, and IT, is getting blurred, and moving onto a single platform.

Mitel is in the AV industry. We are getting into collaboration and communication. They come with a strong product lineup. They also have different deployment options – on-premise, cloud, and hybrid, etc. Mitel is a global leader in business communication with a stronghold in call centres.