Juniper Partners: Time For A Switch

Solution providers said they like what they're seeing out of Juniper from a channel side but still have one unfulfilled wish: that the vendor add enterprise switching to its product portfolio.

The company at its annual J-Partner Summit in Las Vegas introduced a new deal registration program, new specializations for access control technologies and partner services, a fast-track certification program for its JUNOS operating system and reintroduced its J-Rewards financial incentive program.

"Our go-to-market strategy is fundamentally based on going through partners," said Frank Vitagliano, senior vice president of worldwide channels and U.S. enterprise operations at Juniper, Sunnyvale, Calif.

Vitagliano also highlighted progress Juniper has made since he joined the company just over a year ago, including a reorganization of its enterprise field teams to help fix the company's teaming with solution providers, which partners had reported was spotty in some regions.

Several Juniper solution providers said they have seen improvements in their partnerships.

"Juniper is our top line again," said Pat Grillo, president of Atrion Communications Resources (ACR), a solution provider in Branchburg, N.J. "Our Juniper sales had dropped down under $1.5 million, but we were back up to $3 million last year," Grillo said, crediting his Juniper channel manager for the improvement in the relationship.

Grillo had been focusing on his partnership with Cisco Systems as he became increasingly dissatisfied with Juniper but has found it difficult to make the required investments. In the meantime, Juniper began its efforts to get back into ACR's good graces.

"I was ready to go the Cisco route and was trying very hard, but I don't have the money I need to make the commitment," Grillo said, noting that he is still a Cisco Premier partner. "I love what Cisco is doing and want to work with them. It's just very hard for us."

Stuart Brainerd, president of Chicago-based Synapse Networking, said he is also happier with his Juniper partnership these days.

"Two years ago I would have given a list of complaints. That was a bad patch. I think now they are pretty solid," Brainerd said.

Still, the company can't kick partners' calls for it to expand its portfolio with the addition of enterprise switches, which they say is necessary to compete with Cisco.

The addition of a switch line to Juniper's portfolio becomes increasingly important as Juniper talks up solutions-selling around its products, as executives did at this week's conference. Currently Juniper pushes solution providers toward its ecosystem of technology partners, including Avaya, Extreme Networks and Meru Networks, to fill in VoIP, switching and WLAN pieces.

NEXT: Will Juniper build or buy?