Packet Design moves closer to customers (hktdc.com)


	Steve Ackley outlines the strategic connection Hong Kong provides Packet Design

Pioneering US IT firm Packet Design has opened a sales and support office in Hong Kong to handle its growing Asian customer base.

Hong Kong is the Silicon Valley firm's first direct presence in the Far East, and is cited by Steve Ackley, Vice President of Worldwide Sales, as "a strategic gateway to China and Southeast Asia."

Packet Design is a pioneer in route analytics technology for managing large IP networks. Its new Hong Kong office will work with regional reseller partners to serve customers in China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Southeast Asia.

Unique opportunity

"Having an office in Hong Kong gives us ready access to the growing number of enterprises and service providers who are looking for advanced IP network management solutions," Mr Ackley said. "As a world financial hub, Hong Kong also offers us a unique opportunity to be close to customers and prospects in the financial services arena, a key market for route analytics."

The move comes as the Hong Kong Government announced plans to adopt a "wireless lifestyle" by taking a proactive role in fostering IT development. Mr Ackley said the timing was ideal to set up an Asian hub.

"There is tremendous growth throughout Asia, which includes some of the largest, as well as the fastest-growing economies in the world. We're seeing significant investment in both new and upgraded communication infrastructure [data, voice and video], and that investment includes deploying solutions that will allow them to meet the high service levels required by their constituents.

"While we have already achieved significant customer wins without a local office, the time was right to expand our presence to better support our customers and partners, and to accelerate our growth in the Asian market."

Ideal location

Hong Kong represents an ideal location from which to support the firm's diverse set of customers and partners throughout Asia, Mr Ackley said. "It provides easy access to our key geographic markets, including China, Japan, Korea and Southeast Asia."

"Packet Design realises that our success depends on our ability to service and support our customers and partners," he continued. "This means we need to be available when they need us, not the next day. Having a presence in Hong Kong allows us to respond immediately to any questions, as well as routinely be able to meet face-to-face with key customers and prospects. This helps us to build stronger relationships, which benefits both our company and our customers."

Managing the Hong Kong office is Patrick Li, a 10-year networking industry veteran, who joined Packet Design as systems engineering manager for Asia Pacific and Japan. Mr Li comes to Packet Design with extensive technical sales experience in the telecommunication and information technology sectors, having previously worked for a number of US-based companies in the Asia-Pacific region.

The Hong Kong opening expands a presence Packet Design has already begun to establish in the Asia-Pacific region through partners and resellers, including Expernet (Korea), Super Instruments and GuoMai Technologies (China), Ring Line (Taiwan), Alunan Persada (Malaysia) and Toyo Electronics (Japan). In September 2007, Packet Design retained SeekerTech, which specialises in building Asia-Pacific business for high-technology companies, to manage and expand its reseller base in the region.