Mushroom Networks Looks To Strengthen Bonds

Company:

Headquarters: San Diego

Technology Sector: Networking

Key Product: Truffle

Year Founded: 2004

Number of Channel Partners: 170 worldwide, 70% in U.S.

Ideal Channel Partner: Enterprise-focused solution provider

Why You Should Care: A slow economy means customers have to make do with what they have, and are thus looking for ways to boost or augment their network infrastructures. Meet Mushroom Networks, which wants the power of broadband bonding to grow in the channel.

The Lowdown: Mushroom Networks first launched its broadband bonding products in February 2008. The technology helps businesses get more bang for their broadband buck by combining all of a local network's available Internet connection resources -- DSL, cable, modem, T1 circuits, fiber -- into a single, virtual broadband pipe that improves connections all over the networks.

Mushroom's portfolio centers on two offerings: Truffle, which can combine up to six wired broadband connections plus one USB cellular card using an internal router and firewall, and PortaBella, a wireless bonder that allows customers to combine as many as four USB cellular cards. Both product sets are Ethernet-based and are installed between a customer's local network and broadband modems or cellular cards, without requiring additional network configuration.

Mushroom has worked with solution providers for years, but it was only in November 2009 that it launched a formal channel program. Dr. Cahit Akin, co-founder and CEO, told ChannelWeb that most of Mushroom's VAR partners come through inbound queries, and the company needs to expand its channel reach to spread Mushroom's visibility.

"We want to provide a nice package for VARs to get them going really quickly," Akin said at the time. "We're really getting to a point where we want to scale up in North America as well as internationally, because this is a major business opportunity for a slow economy. It's the most cost-effective way to bring the bits to the office compared to some legacy approaches, and it's one of the rare areas in IT that's actually growing right now."

Mushroom's formal VAR program includes lead registration that offers three months of locked-in leads, plus training on Mushroom product lines and access to Mushroom's resource library of white papers, case studies and best practices.

"We look at the growth in areas like telepresence, videoconferencing and live applications, and for those, broadband bonding is an enabler technology," Akin said. "Branch offices that have slower connections can get HD-quality telepresence enabled, and they don't need a super-fast and expensive connection. Broadband bonding uses inexpensive cables, DSL, whatever type of connection is there."