Huawei Expands Channel with ASI Distribution Deal

Huawei is building out its channel presence in North America, and the company seems to be on the lookout for new partners. The global information and communications technology solutions provider has signed a distribution deal with ASI, the California-based IT products distributor that has a partner base of more than 20,000 VARs across North America.

Even as Huawei contends with allegations regarding National Security Agency backdoors in its products, as well as new claims of hacking a state carrier network in India, the vendor is moving forward and trying to gain additional market share in North America. To be fair to Huawei, the company flatly denies both the NSA and hacking claims, and no concrete evidence has yet been brought to light.

The new distribution agreement will provide Huawei with a much larger potential channel partner base to go to market with in the United States, but the Chinese communications vendor has a long road ahead if it’s to truly take on its chief competitors.

“This partnership not only expands our U.S. presence, but also cements our commitment to the largest IT market in the world,” said Jane Li, COO of Huawei Enterprise USA, in a prepared statement.

Through the agreement, ASI will distribute Huawei’s networking, server, storage and telepresence products and services to resellers serving both small and medium business (SMB) and enterprise customers.

Specific to networking, Huawei may find it difficult to gain a competitive edge. The U.S. market is dominated by the likes of Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Juniper Networks (JNPR), neither of which are going to give ground willingly. And with security concerns, whether true or not true, being brought forward in the last several months, Huawei will need to convince both customers and partners (or potential partners) that they are truly committed to selling secure, quality products and services in the North American market.

It may be an uphill battle, but Huawei has a lot of international clout that could provide the foundation to forge a stronger channel base in North America.