AirMagnet VARs Undaunted By CDW Deal

“We&re reaching out to a lot of new customers through some new channels with appropriate products and offerings,” said Rich Mironov, vice president of marketing for AirMagnet, Sunnyvale, Calif.

CDW, which boasted revenue of $5.74 billion for 2004, will sell AirMagnet&s entire line of portable wireless security troubleshooting products, including its Laptop Analyzer, Handheld Analyzer, Surveyor and Spectrum Analyzer lines.

While some solution providers weary of competing with CDW may be less than thrilled by the new partnership, several existing AirMagnet partners said their expertise will keep conflict with CDW at bay.

Bruce Ligerman, president of New York-based solution provider LogiTel USA, is confident that his business won&t be affected. “Specialized skills are important to fully utilize products like AirMagnet, and we have a team of certified engineers who can provide a broader range of services than CDW,” he said.

Mark Tauschek, co-founder and senior consultant at Wireless Friendly, a London, Ontario-based solution provider and AirMagnet reseller, has a similar view. “When we sell AirMagnet products, more often than not it&s a consultative process,” he said. “We work with customers to see which products they need, and we make sure that they know how to use them.”

CDW said it has teams of security and networking engineers who work with customers on the implementation of security and networking projects, including those involving AirMagnet products.

Tauschek wondered whether CDW will have much success selling AirMagnet&s wares online. “AirMagnet&s products are head and shoulders above their competitors, but I don&t think they&re products that someone is going to go online and buy, because they&re expensive,” he said.

Approximate pricing for AirMagnet&s offerings ranges from $2,000 to $4,000.