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Juniper partners interviewed by CRN welcomed the idea of Vitagliano in a role much closer to them.
Keith Norbie, vice president of sales and vendor management for Nexus Information Systems, a Minnetonka, Minn. solution provider, said Vitagliano's return to the Americas sales trenches will benefit Juniper.
"Frank is a true channel champion," said Norbie. "He has great business acumen and understands how the channel works. Now it is a matter of setting the plays and executing."
The Juniper Americas offensive under Vitagliano comes with many channel partners looking for an alternative to Cisco, Norbie said. "Cisco is such an overly distributed product," he said. "Juniper is a voice of independence."
The move focuses Vitagliano's energies where they're best harnessed, other solution providers said.
"You take a guy of that caliber, and you're using him in a lot of different ways and you just decide to take him to channels in the Americas, well, that's a testament to Juniper's commitment," said Dave Gilden, executive vice president for public sector at Fishnet Security, a Kansas City. Mo.-based solution provider. "Personally, having known him for quite some time, the field is where he thrives."
Gilden was among several VARs who thought Vitagliano was ultimately spread too thin in his worldwide role.
"He's a field guy," Gilden said. "Being able to get into the field and meet with partners and take what he learns back to corporate will be a huge value. I was very excited to hear about the change."
Brian Wiser, senior vice president of sales and marketing for distribution giant Ingram Micro, agreed, saying the Vitagliano move is a case of the vendor putting “top talent where they see strong growth and upside.”
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“Frank brings a very strong sense of the channel and understanding of what partners need to grow their business,” he said. "He has great relationships in the channel, understands the needs of partners, and you want that person as external-facing as possible."
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