Monday Morning Impact – January 25

Juniper Announces Channel Program Upgrades for 2016

Juniper Networks has announced a forthcoming series of program enhancements aimed at helping partners to further develop and validate their competency and expertise.

Among the highlights, the Sunnyvale, Calif.-based company is rolling out new specializations focused on the data center and cloud computing. In addition, Juniper is also rolling out a new solutions specialist design track, which is intended to improve program alignment with systems engineer roles and job functions in the field, enabling partners to optimize their training investments and streamline program training.

“Today, our Champion Program helps partners win more business faster, develop new skills and capabilities, and create a truly exceptional customer experience through advanced expertise in silicon, systems and software,” said Matt Hurley, Juniper’s vice president of global channels. “Although certifications are a key part of the construct, the true essence of the program is a mutually connected relationship designed to enable growth, coverage and scale for our partners and Juniper together as one.”

Other program features for 2016 include platform enhancements for the company’s Marketing Concierge programs, and also the addition of new courses in the Partner Learning Academy.

Channel Impact
These are major strides in helping channel partners to build expertise and drive high value, leveraging Juniper products. In addition, the new data center and cloud computing specializations will support both business models, as well as the emerging category of hybrid VARs.

Recognized Channel and Sales Expert Steve Pataky Joins Dell Security

Dell Security Solutions has announced the hiring of Steve Pataky its new vice president of worldwide security sales. Pataky comes to the table with more than 25 years of experience in global sales, channel and go-to-market strategies.

He joins Dell from FireEye where he served as vice president of worldwide channels and alliances. Prior to FireEye, he held domestic and global channel sales and development roles with NetScreen, Juniper Networks, Vertical Networks and 3Com.

Channel Impact
Steve Pataky is an established industry professional who understands the channel as well as IT security. His presence will help to strengthen credibility to the company’s go-to-market strategy.

CloudPhysics Announces Distribution Agreement with Ingram Micro

CloudPhysics, a Mountain View, Calif.-based SaaS analytics provider, has announced a distribution agreement with Ingram Micro.

CloudPhysics focuses on helping VMware vSphere teams the ability to reduce risk and waste without compromising the safety of the virtual infrastructure or the supported applications. In addition, new gold tier benefits are designed to help enable partners to generate higher margins while delivering deeper technical visibility to their customers.

“In today’s world of software-defined data centers, infrastructure is increasingly complex, change is constant and the need for specialized IT services providers is growing daily among businesses of all sizes,” said Scott Zahl, vice president and general manager of Ingram Micro Advanced Solutions. “With CloudPhysics, our channel partners and their customers gain immediate insight into their infrastructure. This allows them to make more informed decisions about how best to manage and maintain a healthy, hybrid IT ecosystem.”

Channel Impact
Gaining assistance in sales and support from a major industry player can help open doors for a small vendor trying to extend its footprint through the indirect channel.