CRN Interview: Rich Severa, Arrow Electronics/MOCA

Rich Severa, president of MOCA, Arrow Electronics' Sun Microsystems-focused division, recently spoke with CRN Distribution Editor Scott Campbell about business, Jonathan Schwartz's promotion at Sun and where the Sun channel is heading. The following excerpts are from that conversation.

CRN: How is your Sun business doing?

Severa: We continue to be flourishing in terms of sales growth and market share gain. We have been the beneficiary of a change at Sun from less direct business, to a more deliberate channel model that highlights partners and resellers involved in the Sun hardware and software transactions with their End Users. We now have 11 consecutive quarters of sales revenue growth, compared to the same quarter of the previous year.

In the last four or five quarters, sales growth has really accelerated. We're clearly in a recovery. Sun hasn't yet participated in the recovery. Their issues have been more self-inflicted during the last 3 or 4 quarters than economy driven. Clearly IT spending is up. That is benefiting all segments. Companies not doing well have more internal issues that compete with available market demand.

CRN: Jonathan Schwartz was recently named president and COO of Sun. Will his promotion help or hinder the channel?