Computer Maker Puts Tablet PCs in Motion

Company:

Headquarters: Austin, Tex.

Technology Sector: Hardware

Key Product: Motion C5

Year Founded: 2001

Number of Channel Partners: 250 active partners worldwide

Ideal Channel Partner: Midmarket-focused solution providers

Why You Should Care: Nearly 100 percent of Motion Computing's revenue comes from channel partners, and tablet PCs are a growing market.

The Lowdown: Nearly 10 years ago, a group of former Dell executives decided to take a gamble on a new technology: the tablet PC. They formed Motion Computing in 2001 -- right around the time the tablet was making headlines, thanks to Bill Gates's Comdex keynote.

"We were one of the first companies to do a tablet PC product back in 2001," said Mike Stinson, vice president of marketing at Motion Computing. "We're really built to serve the mobile worker -- people who are constantly walking and on their feet all day. A nurse going from bedside to bedside is a perfect example."

Indeed, health care is one of Motion Computing's biggest markets, thanks to the Motion C5 MCA (Mobile Clinical Assistant) model. But the company has broken into new markets and bolstered its product line in recent years. "As we've grown over the last eight years, we've become more vertical," he said. "Our products have also become more ruggedized. We've moved out of the office and more into the field."

For example, Motion Computing's F5 model now features Corning's Gorilla Glass for an extra layer of protection on the display. Plus, the company kept the model somewhat light at 3 pounds. And unlike the white C5, the M5 is dark-colored so that workers in the field, from repair specialists to construction works, don't have to worry about their slate looking dirty.

Motion Computing's reseller program offers partners deal registration, lead generation services and joint marketing. The company also has a wide range of partners. "We have some high volume-low touch guys like CDW, Dell and Insight, but we have a lot of more local, vertical-focused resellers, too," Stinson said.

"We have partners coming to us and introducing us to new vertical markets that we didn't even know about."