| COMPANY |
HOT MIDMARKET PRODUCT |
MIDMARKET STRATEGY/
ADVANTAGE(S)/CHALLENGE(S) |
| • Adtran Inc. |
NetVanta 7100 |
MIDMARKET STRATEGY: Sells to midmarket customers exclusively through channel partners.
ADVANTAGE: Low product points.
CHALLENGE: Fighting for share against dominant market leader Cisco. |
| • Advanced Micro Devices Inc. |
Business Class Platform |
MIDMARKET STRATEGY: Pushes advantages of Opteron server chips to the data center.
ADVANTAGE: 'Native' client and server core micro-architecture delivers energy efficiency, dynamic power management and significant investment protection across CPU product line.
CHALLENGE: Disasterous recent financial performance and major product delays hinder AMD's already difficult task of consistently competing with chip goliath Intel. |
| • Apple Computer Inc. |
MacBook Pro |
MIDMARKET STRATEGY: Typically hush-hush about channel plans but releases more business-friendly products every year.
ADVANTAGE: The popularity of its iPhone and iPod products is helping it make inroads into the business world.
CHALLENGE: Most business software is still designed for Microsoft Windows. |
| • Avaya Inc. |
One-X Mobile |
MIDMARKET STRATEGY: Positions its midmarket solutions as an extension of its enterprise-class offerings.
ADVANTAGE: Recent research from Frost & Sullivan found that avaya leads the North American voice and unified messaging market in revenue and shipments.
CHALLENGE: Accelerating its time-to-market and training the channel to sell packaged solutions. |
| • Cisco Systems Inc. |
Cisco Unified Communications Manager, Business Edition |
MIDMARKET STRATEGY: Pushes 100 percent of midmarket sales through channel partners.
ADVANTAGE: Broad portfolio of integrated products encourages many channel partners to recommend end-to-end Cisco solutions.
CHALLENGE: Premium pricing strategy leaves Cisco open to attack from lower-cost rivals. |
| • Citrix Systems Inc. |
XenServer |
MIDMARKET STRATEGY: Creates packaging, pricing andtraining and makes marketing deciscions from a channel-first standpoint.
ADVANTAGE: Has broad vision of branching out beyond servers and into the desktop virtualization market.
CHALLENGE: Overshadowed by rival VMware. |
| • CommVault |
Simpana Suite |
MIDMARKET STRATEGY: Sells software both as a licensed application and as a technology to let channel partners offer online data protection as a service.
ADVANTAGE: Consistent channel program and lower product prices.
CHALLENGE: Less well-known and much smaller than competitors such as Symantec and EMC. |
| • Compellent Technologies Inc. |
Storage Center Array |
MIDMARKET STRATEGY: 100 percent channel appraoch to marketing a relatively low-cost storage array with many typical enterprise-class features.
ADVANTAGE: Full-featured product with a loyal base of solution providers.
CHALLENGE:Small size and lack of brand recognition. |
| • CA Inc. |
ARCServe |
MIDMARKET STRATEGY: Created a new business unit to sell storage and recovery management software for the midmarket exclusively through the channel.
ADVANTAGE: Has been putting more emphasis on the channel lately and backing it up with products packaged specifically for midmarket customers.
CHALLENGE: Must dispel its reputation as a supplier of mainframe-focused products sold by abd agressive direct-sales force. |
| • Dell Inc. |
Dell EqualLogic PS5000 Series |
MIDMARKET STRATEGY: Aims to deliver best price-performance in midmarket with a full portfolio of products.
ADVANTAGE: Uses its Wal-Mart-like purchasing power to deliver best-value midmarket products.
CHALLENGE: Lacks channel and services muscle of No. 1 rival HP. Must prove its new channel initiative is more than just talk. |
| • eCopy Inc. |
Sharescan Suite |
MIDMARKET STRATEGY: Solution stack is built so companies can choose a starting point that best fits their business and then add more features as needed.
ADVANTAGE: Provides a standard document- imaging platform supported by every major multifunction peripheral manufacturer.
CHALLENGE: Needs to expand its channel ecosystem to tap into fast-growth mid-market applications. |
| • EMC Corp. |
Clarion CX300/CX300i |
MIDMARKET STRATEGY: Continues to develop its entry-level and midrange Clariion line of storage appliances while building a managed services platform that will be available through its solution providers.
ADVANTAGE: Strong channel-friendly program for small and midmarket business customers, along with a well-known storage brand in larger midmarket businesses.
CHALLENGE: History and long memories of the days when it was known as an aggressive enemy of the channel, plus not as well-known among smaller business customers. |
| • Google Inc. |
Google Search Appliance |
MIDMARKET STRATEGY: To penetrate midmarket accounts with Google Search Appliance, Google Mini, Salesforce For Google Apps, and Postini hosted e-mail and messaging offerings.
ADVANTAGE: Reputation for creative and innovative technology for free or at bargain- basement prices.
CHALLENGE: Small midmarket footprint and a low channel IQ despite a much- publicized distribution agreement with Ingram Micro. |
| • Hewlett-Packard Co. |
HP BladeSystem c3000 |
MIDMARKET STRATEGY: Strategy is to cede virtually the entire midmarket to solution providers while its direct- sales force handles its largest named enterprise accounts.
ADVANTAGE: Breadth of HP's product portfolio is greater than any other IT company.
CHALLENGE: Must fight to keep its direct-sales force away from midmarket accounts and focused on its named enterprise customers. |
| • Hitachi Data Systems |
WMS100 |
MIDMARKET STRATEGY: Sells through the channel and through system vendors.
ADVANTAGE: Loyal partner base, plus many reseller arrangements with system vendors such as Sun Microsystems and SGI.
CHALLENGE: Still a relatively unknown brand in the U.S. combined with what many solution providers say is little or no marketing activities. |
| • IBM Corp. |
IBM System Storage n3600 |
MIDMARKET STRATEGY: Its platform, called Blue Business Platform, includes APIs to enable partners' solutions to work with each other.
ADVANTAGE: Huge base of technology, services and solution providers, coupled with IBM's own technology, along with experience in packaging solutions for midmarket customers.
CHALLENGE: Has gotten rid of its commodity product lines, especially PCs and components, and is moving away from low-end servers, potentially alienating many of its smaller partners. |
| • Intel Corp. |
Intel Modular Server |
MIDMARKET STRATEGY: Relentless 'tick-tock-driven' product refresh cycle that gives OEM and system builder partners more powerful, dynamic and energy-efficient silicon with metronomic consistency.
ADVANTAGE: Brand awareness, marketing heft, top-to-bottom server offerings, and fruitful relationship with its system builder channel.
CHALLENGE: Main x86 rival AMD's launch of its first commercial desktop and notebook platforms this year, the possibility of prolonged economic downturn affecting product sales. |
| • KACE |
KBOX 1000 |
MIDMARKET STRATEGY: To provide end-to-end systems management and deployment capabilities via affordable and easy-to-use appliances.
ADVANTAGE: Focuses on product sets that are intuitive and easy to use, so no additional staff is needed to manage them.
CHALLENGE: Faces name-recognition issues when up against competitors such as Microsoft, Altiris and LANDesk. |
| • Kaspersky Lab |
Kaspersky Open Space Security |
MIDMARKET STRATEGY: Hosted security services targeted at midmarket customers.
ADVANTAGE: 100-percent channel focused.
CHALLENGE: Antivirus focus only. |
| • Lefthand Networks Inc. |
NSM 2120 Security SaaS with Business Continuity |
MIDMARKET STRATEGY: Stays close to the channel with solid and focused product line.
ADVANTAGE: Offers both physical (hardware-based) and virtual versions of its iSCSI storage appliances.
CHALLENGE: Dell's acquisition of EqualLogic could put pressure on LeftHand and on all iSCSI-focused vendors. |
| • McAfee Inc. |
Total Encryption for Protection for Data |
MIDMARKET STRATEGY: Focuses on delivering products that leverage enterprise-class technology but are easy to install, manage and maintain.
ADVANTAGE: Has product family that delivers a comprehensive compliance infrastructure.
CHALLENGE: Educating customers on the company's midmarket strategy. |
| • Microsoft Corp. |
Essentials Business Server |
MIDMARKET STRATEGY: Strategy is all about taking enterprise-level features and functionality and tuning them for midsize companies, both in terms of product design and pricing.
ADVANTAGE: Has legions of devoted channel partners who've long sang the praises of Small Business Server, and they're excited about getting their hands on Windows Essentials Business Server (EBS).
CHALLENGE: Must educate the market on EBS' value proposition that and clarify that it's not just scaled-down version of Windows Server. This includes pointing out the ability for EBS to manage end-user licensing. |
| • NetGear Inc. |
ProSafe 48-port Gigabit Smart Switch, aka GS748TR |
MIDMARKET STRATEGY: Recently released several products across its typically SMB-focused portfolio to target businesses of that size.
ADVANTAGE: Offers = ProSafe Lifetime Warranty, which few vendors targeting the midmarket offer.
CHALLENGE: Many of Netgear's customers want to go with a one-size-fits- all approach, often resulting in their choosing an enterprise vendor based on brand recognition. |
| • NetSuite Inc. |
NetSuite OneWorld |
MIDMARKET STRATEGY: Offers integrated business applications for midsize companies and delivers them over the Internet using SAP-like infrastructure.
ADVANTAGE: More cost-effective alternative to much more expensive products being pushed by competitors.
CHALLENGE: Fragmentation of the market, and the reality that it's tougher to sell ERP than CRM could slow the company's progress. |
| • Novell Inc. |
Novell SUSE Linux Enterprise |
MIDMARKET STRATEGY: Optimized SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for mid-market customers through alliances such as the recent deal with SAP.
ADVANTAGE: Huge installed base of NetWare customers.
CHALLENGE: NetWare sales declining. Customer base being targeted by competitors such as Microsoft and Red Hat. |
| • Oracle Corp. |
Oracle Database 11G Standard Edition |
MIDMARKET STRATEGY: Under Oracle Accelerate initiative, company provides pre-configured bundles of applications tailored for SMBs in vertical industries.
ADVANTAGE: Few competitors can match its broad lineup of database, middleware and application software.
CHALLENGE: Has to step carefully to support all its acquired products while developing its next-generation Fusion applications. |
| • Progress Software Corp. |
Progress OpenEdge |
MIDMARKET STRATEGY: Working to expand sales of its application integration and management products to midsize companies.
ADVANTAGE: Has stable of more than 1,500 ISV partners, covering numerous vertical industries and broad geographic areas.
CHALLENGE: Pushing into SOA infrastructure, integration and messaging software market, where technologies are evolving rapidly. |
| • Sage Software |
MAS 90 |
MIDMARKET STRATEGY: Longtime focus on SMBs, relies heavily on the channel to reach them.
ADVANTAGE: Broad range of products, many targeted squarely at midmarket customers. Consistently gets high grades from solution providers for its channel programs and support.
CHALLENGE: Broad, sometimes overlapping product lines can be confusing. Recent channel management team shakeup. |
| • Salesforce.com |
Salesforce Partners (PRM) |
MIDMARKET STRATEGY: Offers broad range of features and functionality.
ADVANTAGE: Maintained a leading position by expanding its portfolio beyond CRM and adding channel- friendly initiatives like AppExchange, a directory of add-ons developed by Salesforce partners.
CHALLENGE: Bigger competitors such as Microsoft and Oracle are all moving into on-demand CRM space, and their influence could eat away at Salesforce's margins. |
| • Samsung |
460 DXN Digital Display |
MIDMARKET STRATEGY: Shook up channel programs last year to help grow midmarket business.
ADVANTAGE: Has wide range of products and is putting resources behind digital signage and ultramobile PCs in the midmarket.
CHALLENGE: Beefing up line of printers but will have tough competition from longtime leaders HP and Xerox. |
| • SAP AG |
Business All-in-One |
MIDMARKET STRATEGY: Targets mid-market customers through the channel with Business All-in-One application package and Business ByDesign on-demand applications.
ADVANTAGE: Thanks to industry consolidation, SAP has become one of the dominant players in ERP software.
CHALLENGE: Still working on the best ways of selling, running and delivering on-demand applications. |
| • SAS Institute Inc. |
SAS Analytics Pro for Midsize Business |
MIDMARKET STRATEGY: Launched Alliance reseller program in late 2006 to expand sales to SMBs using pre-configured bundles of its business intelligence software.
ADVANTAGE: Well-known for sophisticated data management and analysis applications.
CHALLENGE: Continues to search for right mix of products and tactics for its nascent channel efforts to reach SMB customers. |
| • ShoreTel Inc. |
ShorePhone IP 565g |
MIDMARKET STRATEGY: Focuses on building quality VoIP products at value prices, driving 100 percent of its business through channel partners.
ADVANTAGE: Has loyal channel following because of its high product quality and strong partner margins.
CHALLENGE: Competes against Cisco, a market-leading, deep-pocketed rival. |
| • SonicWall Inc. |
NSA 3500, 4500, 5000 |
MIDMARKET STRATEGY: Expanding its footprint to the midsize and enterprise markets.
ADVANTAGE: Has products designed specifically for companies with shortage of IT personnel.
CHALLENGE: With current economy, challenge will be to enable its 10,000 partners to sustain level of profitability. |
| • Sun Microsystems Inc. |
Sun Fire X4500 Thumper hybrid sever/storage appliance |
MIDMARKET STRATEGY: Revamped product line in past couple of years to focus on midmarket, including series of high-performance, low-cost x86-based systems.
ADVANTAGE: Strong server and operating system offerings and one of the strongest supporters of the open-source community.
CHALLENGE: Inconsistent channel programs, failed storage strategy (with some strong exceptions), and a brand name associated with either "enterprise" or "stodgy old computers" or "the dot in dot-com." |
| • Symantec Corp. |
Backup Exec 12 |
MIDMARKET STRATEGY: Offers combination of affordable solutions that help fully protect mixed OS environment.
ADVANTAGE: Has comprehensive range of products.
CHALLENGE: Faces stiff competition from newer vendors entering its space with innovative technologies often at significantly reduced price points. |
| • Trend Micro Inc. |
Neatsuite Advanced |
MIDMARKET STRATEGY: Strategy incorporates targeting businesses with array of on-premise and hosted security solutions that provide multilayer, multithreat protection.
ADVANTAGE: Focused offerings both designed and packaged specifically to help midmarket customers resolve complex security issues more easily.
CHALLENGE: Getting mind-share of the overworked mid-market IT administrator who has limited, or dwindling, staff, time and resources. |
| • Verizon Wireless |
Various mobility products |
MIDMARKET STRATEGY: Focuses on network reliability.
ADVANTAGE: Quality of its network.
CHALLENGE: Operates in aggressive, competitive market. |
| • VMware Inc. |
VMware Server |
MIDMARKET STRATEGY: Created variety of Acceleration Kits, packages of software and/or training aimed specifically at midmarket and smaller customers.
ADVANTAGE: Has broad product line.
CHALLENGE: Driving awareness of its offerings. |
| • Webroot Software Inc. |
Webroot Email Security with Business Continuity |
MIDMARKET STRATEGY: 100 percent channel-only model.
ADVANTAGE: Service solution eliminates huge infrastructure capital investment midmarket accounts must make to protect their business.
CHALLENGE: Battling myth that data in the data center is more secure than data in the cloud. |
| • Xerox Corp. |
Phaser 8860 multifunction printer |
MIDMARKET STRATEGY: Relying on broad product line and offerings like PagePack managed print service to help grow midmarket business.
ADVANTAGE: Updated Peak Partner Program last year and has been gaining ground in the channel, winning high marks from VARs for product quality and reliability.
CHALLENGE: With long copier heritage, Xerox still isn't the first name that comes to mind when you're looking for a printer. |
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