[Gloucs] The VAR Guy.

[Andrew Oakley]

Geoff Bagley wrote:
> Please can anyone tell me what  "VAR" stands for ?

Value Added Reseller?

Usually this means someone who buys hardware wholesale, configures it
bespoke for the customer (adds value) and sells it on at a larger
mark-up than they would otherwise do with a straight unconfigured raw
hardware sale.

For example, I used to run an IT support shop which specialised in
pre-configuring small business servers for accountants and estate
agents. We'd pre-load the accountancy or estate agency software, then
turn up and spend a day or two configuring it on-site for the business.

Another example, we had a carpenter on retainer who could build wooden
cable trunking that would meet Grade I Listed Building standards - he
could make trunking to blend in with oak panelled corridors. So we could
roll out servers and client machines en-masse to companies (and
millionaire trucking magnates) in historic buildings.

VARs tend to be small, local and know their customer base very, very
well - often individually and socially. They know they can't compete
with the likes of Dell on raw hardware price, so they rely on the
value-added bit (configuration, support, installation, local knowledge)
to make them stand out from the crowd.

Oh, and if anyone wonders why I haven't been to meetings recently - it
turns out that having newborn twins is very time consuming. It's not
harder, it's just that everything takes more than twice as long, and the
little breaks we used to get with one baby, where you can grab a half
hour nap, just don't happen with non-identical twins. Hopefully they'll
be more settled by February or March.

Andrew Oakley
Head of Software Development
Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA)
95 Promenade, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL50 1HZ
T 01242 211460  F 01242 211122  W www.hesa.ac.uk

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