Experience and expertise of HCL Infosystems will support growing opportunities in region
NEW DELHI, India --- September 26, 2011 --- SMART Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: SMT) (TSX: SMA), a leading provider of collaboration solutions, and HCL Infosystems Ltd., India’s premier ICT system integration, services, hardware and distribution company, today announced that HCL Infosystems has been named an authorized SMART distributor for India. SMART’s best known product is the SMART Board™ interactive whiteboard, the world’s first interactive whiteboard and still the most popular by a large margin over its nearest competitor. HCL Infosystems will also operate as an authorized distributor of SMART products throughout South Asia, including Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh. Through its extensive reseller network, the company will also provide after-sale support for SMART products.
With more than five million classrooms, India represents a significant market for SMART. According to Futuresource Consulting, a leading global research company that has tracked interactive whiteboard shipments since 2000, SMART in Q2 of 2011 had a 25.6 percent product category share of India’s interactive whiteboard market[1]. SMART is well positioned to become the preferred supplier of interactive whiteboards and other education technology products through HCL’s sales activities and channel, and it will provide extensive training for HCL staff and resellers on an ongoing basis. HCL’s knowledge and experience in the education, business and government segments in India will also ensure that customers receive a high standard of service and support.
“We are happy to work with SMART Technologies and are committed to bringing SMART solutions into millions of classrooms across the country, along with the private and government sectors,” says Rothin Bhattacharyya, Executive Vice President, Marketing, HCL Infosystems. “We recognize the immense value that SMART products bring to both the classroom and meeting room, and we are dedicated to providing the company with an unmatched distribution and service platform, which is our strength in the region.”
“We are pleased to name HCL Infosystems as an authorized distributor for India to support our customers,” says Sanjiv Pande, Managing Director, India and South Asia, SMART Technologies. “While SMART offers world-class interactive solutions that transform the way the world works and learns, HCL Infosystems has extensive experience working in the key segments on which we are focused, and we are confident that this expertise will help us build an even stronger presence throughout the region.”
About HCL Infosystems Ltd.
HCL Infosystems Ltd, with revenue (LTM) of US$2.6 billion (Rs.11,542 crores) is India’s premier hardware, services and ICT systems integration company, offering a wide spectrum of ICT products that includes computing, storage, networking, security, telecom, imaging and retail. HCL is a one-stop shop for all the ICT requirements of an organization. India's leading system integration and infrastructure management services organization, HCL has specialized expertise across verticals including telecom, BFSI, eGovernance and power. HCL has India's largest distribution and retail network, taking to market a range of digital lifestyle products in partnership with leading global ICT brands, including Apple, Cisco, Ericsson, Kingston, Kodak, Konica Minolta, Microsoft, Nokia, Toshiba and many more. HCL today has India's largest vertically integrated computer manufacturing facility, with over three decades of electronic manufacturing experience, and HCL desktops are the largest selling brand in the enterprise space. With India’s largest ICT services network that reaches to every corner of India, HCL’s award winning support services make it the preferred choice of enterprises and consumers alike. For more information on HCL, visit hclinfosystems.in.
About SMART
SMART Technologies Inc. is a leading provider of collaboration solutions that transform the way the world works and learns. We believe that collaboration and interaction should be easy. As the global leader in interactive whiteboards, we bring more than two decades of collaboration research and development to a broad range of easy-to-use, integrated solutions that free people from their desks and computer screens, so collaborating and learning with digital resources are more natural.
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[1] Futuresource Consulting Ltd. Interactive Displays /ICT Products Market: Quarterly Insight State of the Market Report, Quarter 2 2011.