Computacenter Distribution (CCD) has poached Phil King from rival SCH to run its new software division.

The firm's biz unit director Lee Perkins told The Register that CCD decided to step into the burgeoning software marketplace following demands from its customers.

He said CCD hoped to plump up market share in virtualisation and business continuity. As part of that aim, the firm is already in softly-softly discussions with HP and IBM, although there are no plans to adopt its core products yet.

Other software vendors are also in the frame as potential partners, though Perkins could not confirm whether that included Microsoft.

When asked if down the line CCD would begin distributing Redmond's Server 2008 product line, he said: "It's simply too early to call."

Speaking about King's appointment, Perkins said: "Phil is the authority on virtualisation in the UK channel and we're really pleased to have him on board." ®