Monday Morning Impact – October 20
By Ken Presti, Senior Consultant, Channel Impact
Aruba Expands Global Channel Program to Accelerate Growth in SME Market
Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Aruba Networks announced new components to its PartnerEdge channel program in order to enhance its footing with small-to-medium businesses and channel partners who serve that portion of the market.
To support this targeted SME channel effort, Aruba has established a dedicated SME channel team, based in Portland, Oregon, that will focus on SME channel recruitment, enablement and demand generation.
Other additions include promotions and enablement support for 802.11ac products such as the Aruba Central cloud management solution and instant controllerless access points.
“The traction we’ve experienced with Aruba Instant and Aruba Central, as well as the significant number of partners we’ve signed in such a short timeframe indicates that our Aruba Cloud Wi-Fi Solution is quickly becoming the WLAN solution of choice for SMEs,” said Karl Soderlund, vice president, worldwide channels for Aruba Networks. “Given this dynamic, we recognized that building the SME channel and ensuring that our partners have the right training, tools and perks to drive business opportunities was critical to our continued success.”
SME channel program components now include portal access, dedicated support, demo equipment offers, deal registration, targeted promotions, and a limited number of free sales specialist training and certifications.
Channel Impact:
In tandem with any effective SMB product roll-out, the need for corresponding program adjustments to meet the needs of the channel becomes increasingly clear. This must include training/enablement, and a variety of incentives necessary to keep partners focused and profitable.
Dimension Data Rolls Out Consultative Process to Support End User Computing
Dimension Data has launched its new End-user Computing Development Model (EUCDM), a new global consultative engagement tool designed to help organizations gauge the potential effects of end-user computing, and where to begin its implementation.
End-user computing is the integrated management and the secure delivery of application services to any user endpoint, whether that’s a smart phone, tablet, laptop or desktop.
“While the emergence of end-user computing in organizations is in the early stages of adoption, we’re seeing a shift in the enterprise from desktop computing to users demanding access to applications and data from any location and on any device,” said Nadeem Ahmad, Dimension Data’s Global Technology Director. “Now, the focus is on what the user wants to achieve in terms of the business outcomes, new operating models such as self-service and automation, and new work styles such as activity-based working or smart working. I believe end-user computing has ushered in a real opportunity for organizations to identify business problems and apply technology solutions to solve them. However, decision-makers don’t have the time to sift through a changing vendor landscape and on the elements of end-user computing to adopt, or how to enable speed of adoption.”
Dimension Data is taking a three-phased process to helping its customers navigate the transition. The first involves a pre-workshop “discovery” call with key client representatives, aimed at developing models of different user types within the organization, and the potential benefits of end user computing. The second phase is primarily comprised of report development, and is followed by a third phase at which recommendations are delivered and specific actions are detailed.
Channel Impact:
Dimension Data has, in essence codified a sales procedure that begins with the client’s current state, evaluates the potential effects of a defined transition, and then connects the dots between the two points. At a superficial level, this might seem as a “given” for any technology sales discussion, but when those discussions involve complex changes to delivering the IT value proposition, it is wise to specifically break the process into component parts and evaluate each one in order to maximize value to the customer.
Dell Partner Survey: Network, Mobile and Cloud Security are Top Threats
Issues around network, mobile and cloud security ranked as top threats to customers in a survey of channel partners attending the first Dell Security Peak Performance Conference in Orlando last week.
Partners pointed to network security and UTM (77 percent of respondents), mobile security (61 percent), and cloud security (39 percent) as the top three concerns they are hearing from customers. BYOD, compliance, and advanced persistent threats were listed as other top areas of concern.
When it comes to building effective partner programs in security, profitability understandably scored the highest at 82 percent, and 72 percent of partners ranked training by vendors among the three most important program elements. Approximately 50 percent of partners ranked rebates and special offers as among the other three most important elements.
Channel Impact:
It’s not surprising that channel partners of all types are looking to security as a key concern of their customers. While the same research also pointed to a vendor preference for security solutions from a single vendor, it is also widely believed that defense-in-depth is an important component in any successful approach to security. As a special benefit to attendees, Dell briefly enacted instant rebates for multiple SKUs in the SonicWall and NSA series.
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