Today the KVM switch market is growing very rapidly in India and the reasons behind the growth of KVM switch can attributed to the growth of server shipment volume (the KVM switch market is closely tied to the overall market for servers), the growing demand of remote management, and the growing demand for centralized management (server consolidation). A new research done by Venture Development Corporation (VDC), IP-based KVM switches will drive the most growth in the KVM switch market through 2007.

Aten as an emerging Leader
Aten is the leading manufacturer worldwide who is capable of providing complete KVM solutions from the entry level to the enterprise market. Today Aten covers 40 per cent of market share in Asia Pacific region. The company is market leader in 2, 4, 8 and 16 port KVM switches. According to Mr. Harvey Kao, Deputy Manager of ATEN's Asia Pacific Sales Division, among these 2, 4, 8 and 16 port switches, 8 and 16-port KVM switches are more on demand. For server room management, Aten's 8 and 16-port KVM switches are able to meet corporate users' various demands for high compatibility, flexibility, reliability, efficiency, scalability and exceptional price performance.

The strength of Aten lies in its single-box solution that can be scaled up according to the needs of the corporate. Today, Aten offers more choice to the customers in deciding the type of KVM solution to be integrated on the platform. With this integrated solution, the problem of administration and maintenance of different servers reduces. For instance, the latest KVM over IP boxes (KN-9116), CAT5 Matrix KVM switches (KM-0432) and KVM devices are installed proportionately for multiple Mix Platform servers to be controlled by a number of users, locally and remotely, over IP. It also trims down the compatibility problems that an administrator faces while managing or administering servers and other data centre devices.

According to Mr. Harvey Kao, Aten has offers Unique Selling Proposition (USP) for its KVM switches. The company has got its own patented ASIC that represents a new level in KVM switch reliability. By incorporating its ASIC into each new design, Aten has enhanced the functionality and compatibility of all products. Moreover, ASIC enables Aten to deliver unique KVM switch features at competitive costs to the customers while maintaining its high quality. Speaking on this front Harvey Kao says “Aten is able to provide total KVM solutions ranging from personal desktop to enterprise rackmount KVM switches. With our complete line of KVM products, our partner is able to provide local customers with customized products and service that perfectly fit into their existing IT infrastructure.”

Go to market strategy

To build Aten brand in India, the company in planning to implement lot of channel promotion Program in next quarter. For the year 2007 the goal of the company is to expand enterprise KVM market with complete line of ALTUSEN products that include the Cat5 Matrix and Over the NET solutions. To further express Aten's determination to expand in the enterprise market, the company will reinforce its services and technical support in the local areas. Apart from that Aten will endeavor to maintain Atens's leading position in the entry to middle level of KVM market. According to Harvey Kao there is a great growth potential for the LCD KVM switches. To keep Atens's technology leading position in the market, the company is planning to have 3 to 4 new LCD KVM products with advanced features by next year. Currently Aten has the cutting-edge LCD KVM switches featuring with the Dual-Condole and Dual-Slide functions.

In India, Aten's products are distributed through Cubix Micro system which has got has six full fledge offices in Pune, Mumbai,Bangalore, Chennai, NewDelhi and Hyderabad. Today Cubix has a channel base with 12 Gold partners and around 120 second-tier partners. Being the sole distributor of ATEN, Cubix takes the entire responsibility of post-sales and support to channels and its end-users. The company also has a direct presence in segments such as IT, BPO, corporate, MNCs, banking & finance and government sectors. Speaking about the Cubix supports in Aten's business in India, Harvey Kao, says “Cubix regularly conducts huge marketing activities in terms of seminars, advertisement, product news, interviews case studies with end users, etc. On top of that, Cubix also give customers pre sales support including technical discussion, site visit, live demo and post sales support including FAQ's site visit for problems and replacements.”

In order to empower and encourage channel partners, Aten keeps on sharing global customer success story and sales experience sharing and also offers awards to its outstanding partners. To develop the skill set of partners, Aten provides annual technical training for worldwide partners. As far as service and support is considered, Aten offers two way service and support to its customers - RMA (Return Materials Authorization) and 24x7 hours technical support.

In the end

The latest strategic approach and offering of Aten demonstrates the tremendous value the company is willing to deliver to the Indian customers.