EMC To Aim New Channel Initiatives At Midrange Space

Among these is the company's first online configuration system, which would allow solution providers to configure an array, get the price, make a quote and order it, said Gregg Ambulos, vice president of global channels.

The online configuration program is expected to be in place in the next couple of months and ready for the channel by midyear, Ambulos said.

EMC is also planning its first deal registration system, said Ambulos. "We currently have no formal program in place, but we need to get it out there," he said. "I'm very confident we will put one in place, hopefully by midyear."

Also on tap in the first half of this year is an enhanced reward program for solution providers, including co-op funding and lead generation, Ambulos said. The size of the rewards will be based on how well a partner drives EMC's business, he said.

These new programs are expected to follow EMC's recently introduced partner accreditation program. "We are continuing to put in the resources needed to make partner training the same as for our own people," Ambulos said. "We right now are averaging 1,100 partner reps per quarter."

EMC's hardware channel business is for the most part focused on the midrange Clariion line of arrays. On a worldwide basis, Ambulos said about 40 percent of Clariion revenue comes from direct sales, 33 percent from Dell and 27 percent from solution providers.

A more limited number of channel partners work with EMC's Symmetrix line, but Ambulos said EMC solution providers have already received training on the new DMX family.