Juniper Networks this week is launching a new partner program that unifies its channel strategy following its recent acquisition of security vendor NetScreen Technologies and paves the way for it to enter the enterprise infrastructure market.
The vendor's new J-Partner program debuts three months after its $4 billion NetScreen acquisition brought in 400 new channel partners. It comes two months ahead of the scheduled launch of Juniper's J-series Services Routers, the company's first foray into the enterprise-access router market.
With the new security and routing products, Juniper aims to broaden its traditional customer base, primarily service providers.
"Juniper is in a great position to leverage the channel to immediately expand its customer base tenfold," said Dan Wilson, vice president of vendor relations at Accuvant, a solution provider in Denver.
Wilson and other security partners inherited through the NetScreen acquisition welcomed the new program because it lets them add Juniper's infrastructure products, such as the forthcoming J-series routers and Juniper's M-series routers.
Tom Duffy, president and CEO of Rock Hill, Conn.-based solution provider igxglobal, said the new program culls some of the best elements of NetScreen's channel program.
The new J-Partner program includes three partner categories: Channels (for solution providers), Global Elite (for multinational partners that sell to enterprises and service providers) and Alliances (for technology vendors).
Under the Channels category, Juniper is classifying solution providers under four designations--Elite, Specialist, Authorized and Select--based on factors such as sales volume, certification and training commitments, and business plan development, said Steven Pataky, global channel marketing manager at Juniper, Sunnyvale, Calif.
The designations carry discounts ranging from around 17 percent to 32 percent off list, he said.
J-Partner also includes a variety of reward and incentive programs, such as Easy8, a deal-registration program for new business that adds an additional 8-point product discount; FastStart, a program for new partners that reduces entry costs; and Advanced Technologies and Solutions, a reward program for partners that sell solutions based on new Juniper technologies.
J-Partner also includes a services component, the Juniper Networks Authorized Support Center program, a flexible model that enables partners to resell Juniper's services, provide their own services or use a combination of both.
