Autotask outlines VARStreet plans

With the recent acquisition of VARStreet, Autotask Corp., a hosted IT business management software vendor, is bringing solutions to market that make it easier for partners to engage in IT product sales and procurement processes.

Bob Godgart, founder and CEO of Autotask, would not disclose the purchase price of VARStreet because he said the terms of the acquisition are private. However, he did say that the hosted e-commerce solution vendor was backed by $20 million of capital investments.

Godgart said that all of the VARStreet staff has been retained and Autotask has also now formed a subsidiary in Pune, India, as part of the acquisition.

Autotask has three VARStreet products which are now available including VARStreet Back-Office, VARStreet e-Commerce and VARStreet XC. The solutions will be marketed as VARStreet by Autotask.

The VARStreet by Autotask solutions are designed for value-added resellers (VARs), managed service providers (MSPs) and solution providers who are looking for an easier and more affordable way to manage, buy and sell technology products.

“With the VARStreet acquisition, we’re now able to provide an end-to-end e-commerce tool to VARs,” Godgart said. “The VARStreet e-Commerce solution helps solution providers sell products online by allowing them to have a complete VAR-branded and controlled e-storefront.”

VARStreet XC is an e-commerce platform designed for larger VARs and solution providers and includes both the VARStreet e-Commerce and VARStreet Back-Office solutions, in addition to higher levels of customization capabilities and workflow rules.

The VARStreet Back-Office solution is an integrated IT product sales and procurement platform that includes real-time pricing and availability from 18 distributors, which includes three in Canada (Ingram Micro, Synnex and Tech Data), advanced product quoting, sourcing and fulfillment capabilities, Godgart explained.

“Partners can do e-sourcing to find out who has (product stock) and who has the best price for it,” Godgart said. “Partners can also place the purchase order electronically and track it up until it’s delivered.”

Jason Beal, director of services for Ingram Micro in North America, said the distributor is an Autotask partner on the services network and Seismic managed services sides.

“Ingram Micro is the exclusive distributor for Autotask’s professional services automation (PSA) solutions,” Beal said. “We’ll sell the VARStreet solutions through our Seismic portfolio as both a standalone and bundled product solution.”

For partners, Beal says the new VARStreet by Autotask solutions will bring more profitability to them.

“Partners ask me on a fairly consistent basis about e-commerce and storefronts,” Beal said. “With VARStreet, resellers can add these storefront and e-commerce capabilities to help them serve their end-users at a much lower cost. Partners can now manage their businesses through Seismic, Autotask and VARStreet by managing both their services and product sides of the business to bring increased revenue and profitability.”

Godgart says pricing for VARStreet Back-Office starts at $99 per month. VARStreet e-Commerce starts at $299. VARStreet by Autotask is currently available only in North America, however Godgart said there’s a global roll-out plan set for a future date.

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Jim Love, Chief Content Officer, IT World Canada

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Maxine Cheung
Maxine Cheung
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