NETWORK POWERHOUSES POSTURETry as they might to downplay the rivalry between them, Juniper Networks Tushar Kothari and Cisco Systems Paul Mountford are clearly squaring off.
After buying its way into the enterprise market last year with its acquisition of NetScreen Technologies, underdog Juniper, Sunnyvale, Calif., brought on Kothari, a well-regarded Cisco channel veteran, to drive sales of its security wares and new access routers through solution providers. He quickly rolled out channel program updates that added certifications and technology specializations akin to those he previously helped launch at Cisco. Standing in his way is Mountford, who has taken on Ciscos channel Achilles heelpartner
Cisco partners anticipate more tweaking of the programs in April when Mountford is expected to update the San Jose, Calif., vendors partner classification system. Kothari is countering with promises of higher margins and a stepped-up partner training effort. Still, some solution providers say Juniper cant hit its full stride as a Cisco competitor until it expands its product portfolio. As soon as they buy or do something with a switching vendor, theyre ready to take Cisco on head-to-head, said Shaun Steel, sales manager at Juniper partner Valcom Computer Center. |