Network Management Software Developer Ramps Up Partner Program

Network performance management software developer SevOne has launched a formal partner program through which the company expects to generate 80 percent of its sales within two years.

The effort will help SevOne increase sales in geographies, both in the U.S. and abroad, and vertical industries the Newark-based company doesn't reach today, said Bill Conners, senior vice president of worldwide sales and business development, in an interview.

SevOne markets the SevOne Performance Appliance Solution, a network, server and application performance management appliance that provides network managers with real-time monitoring, troubleshooting and performance reporting capabilities. The company uses Dell hardware as the appliance platform. It also offers a virtual appliance for SMBs.

The technology, based on a peer-to-peer architecture, polls individual components of complex IT and cloud computing systems on a second-to-second basis and provides the information to IT managers charged with keeping those systems up and running without interruption.

SevOne already generates about 20 percent of its sales through the channel, Conners said. That includes partners in specific geographies (nearly all sales in Europe, Africa and the Middle East are through partners, for example) and resellers who already have a preferred-supplier relationship with large companies.

Next: Relying On The Channel For The Growth Phase

But the company is now transitioning from startup mode to fast growth and the only way that can really be done is through the channel, Conners said.

SevOne is recruiting VARs, systems integrators and managed service providers under the new program, particularly those with expertise in network management. Conners said the company already has 15 partners signed up with others in the pipeline, but he declined to provide a specific numerical goal.

"We want to sign up as many partners as we need to meet our revenue and market share goals," he said. SevOne's direct-channel sales split could completely flip around within two years with the channel accounting for 80 percent of the company's sales, he said.

Founded in 2005, SevOne sells its product to businesses, government organizations, and cloud and service providers. Customers include Alcoa, Aramark, Comcast, Goodyear and UBS.