Channel Poetry

The research firm tracks the storage channel on a quarterly basis, and its most recent report contained a chart showing the percentage of sales from selected vendors that goes through the channel.

Though such numbers can be good reference material, I generally avoid making a big deal out of them. However, the list in this particular report was one more indicator of how important the channel is to the storage market.

My first inclination is to congratulate solution providers for doing so well. After all, your hard work has convinced many suppliers that the channel is the best way--and sometimes the only way--to be a credible storage vendor.

Nevertheless, maybe we in the channel should congratulate these vendors for having the sense to pursue partner strategies. While it's in their best interest to have a strong channel, there are so many other vendors--especially outside the storage market--that still don't get it. These companies do.

Anyway, after scanning over the boring 10-row-by-3-column chart of "Estimated Indirect (Annualized) Revenues: (Percentage of Worldwide Revenues)" from Global Touch, I realized that not only is it good reference material, but it also has a poetic flavor:

Ninety-five percent of Snap Appliance's
Sales go indirect,
Making Eric Kelly's NAS strategy,
One of the channel-friendliest yet.

Hewlett-Packard at No. 2
Shows Carly can cement
Channel relations, 'cause indirect
Counts for 85 percent.

Sun with 65 percent
Through channels is No. 3,
Proving the company really cares.
Thank you, Scott McNealy.

IBM's mass of business partners
Have made it the No. 4
Indirect supplier with 60 percent,
Palmisano, give us more!

Half the sales at HDS
Go indirect, ergo,
The company stands at No. 5,
Dave Roberson, way to go.

Only 45 percent goes indirect
From our friends up at NetApp,
But Warmenhoven's been getting better,
Thanks for going to bat.

At No. 7 on our list
Sits Brocade, at 30 percent,
But Reyes can be forgiven 'cause
The rest to OEM went.

Tied with Brocade is EMC,
But Tucci has upped the channel volume,
Just two years ago they'd probably be
Close to the very bottom.

There may be a few vendors
Who are not on this list yet should be,
But complain to Global Touch,
Not to me.

Then again, after seeing my poem, they might be glad they were overlooked.

Still readin' and writin',
Joseph F. Kovar

JOSEPH F. KOVAR is the storage editor for CRN .