5 Companies That Came To Win This Week

The Week Ending July 15

Topping this week's roundup of companies that came to win is Dell, which named its new channel chief this week and made it clear the company is getting its channel ducks in a row to prepare to compete once it completes its acquisition of EMC.

Also making the list were Cisco, for demonstrating its technological prowess at its Cisco Live conference; Hewlett Packard Enterprise, for its move to sell more of its security products through the channel; Tech Data, for launching an Internet of Things practice that will help smaller solution providers compete in that potentially huge IoT market; and Metalogix, for launching its first formal channel partner program.

Not everyone in the IT industry was making smart moves this week, of course. For a rundown of companies that were unfortunate, unsuccessful or just didn't make good decisions, check out this week's Five Companies That Had A Rough Week roundup.

Dell Names Future Channel Chief, Preps For Post-EMC Acquisition Channel Growth

Dell took some significant steps this week as it positions itself to hit the ground running once it wraps up its long-awaited, $62-billion acquisition of storage systems giant EMC.

Most significantly for the channel, Dell named John Byrne (pictured) to be global channel chief of the soon-to-be-combined companies. Byrne has been overseeing Dell's channel operations since joining the company a year ago as global vice president of sales strategy, operations and channels. Byrne, according to an interview with CRN, is already thinking hard about Dell's plans to enlist partners to sell the entire Dell-EMC portfolio and compete against competitors Cisco, Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Lenovo.

Also in interviews with CRN, CEO Michael Dell vowed that the combined Dell-EMC would spend $4.5 billion on research and development, nearly twice the level of rival HPE. And Dell Enterprise Solutions President Marius Haas pledged that EMC partners would get "white glove" treatment to facilitate their growth and encouraged them to embrace Dell's product lines.

Cisco Readies Storage System Offensive, Demonstrates Technology Chops At Cisco Live

Cisco Systems held its annual Cisco Live 2016 conference in Las Vegas this week and it used the event to showcase its latest products and demonstrate how the giant company remains a technology innovator.

Cisco unveiled plans for a new assault on the data storage market, announcing a turnkey storage platform developed through a strategic partnership with SwiftStack, a developer of open-source Swift object storage technology. Cisco is contributing its Metapod OpenStack-based private cloud software to the effort.

Cisco also introduced a joint offering with CenturyLink to develop a location-based analytics system that incorporates Cisco' Meraki line of cloud-controlled access points and security appliances. The system, which collects and analyzes data from endpoints running in public venues or retail locations, is designed as a pre-packaged platform for Internet of Things applications.

And Cisco's Digital Network Architecture was a star of the show, as the vendor highlighted the services opportunities that DNA provides for channel partners.

HPE To Sell Security Products Through The Channel

In a strategic shift that benefits the channel, Hewlett Packard Enterprise will sell more of its security products through partners, including data security products that heretofore have only been sold direct.

This week, company executives told CRN that HPE has begun selling through the channel its Enterprise Secure Key Manager hardware/software platform for managing encryption keys. Also now being sold through channel partners is the vendor's Securemail email and data protection system.

HPE partners applauded the move. The vendor is particularly recruiting partners who already sell the company's infrastructure systems, such as ProLiant servers or 3PAR storage systems, to carry the security products.

Tech Data Launches IoT Practice Focused On Industrial Supply Chain

The Internet of Things may be a potentially huge market for the IT industry. But smaller solution providers that lack the expertise and scale to develop IoT solutions on their own could find themselves out in the cold.

That's why Tech Data wins kudos this week for its new Internet of Things practice through which the distributor will aggregate products from different vendors to create IoT packages for manufacturing, logistics, retail and smart cities applications. The program taps into Tech Data's own expertise in connectivity, networking equipment, cloud services, applications and software.

Tech Data will distinguish its program from those offered by other distributors by largely combining finished vendor products rather than focusing on the processor components. The distributor will help partners conceptualize and design IoT solutions, provide interoperability between vendors' products, and position IoT solutions in the marketplace.

Metalogix Launches Formal Channel Program To Support Complex SharePoint Migrations

Metalogix has been working with some 300 solution providers to sell its software tools that facilitate Microsoft SharePoint migrations. But until now, it's done so without having a formal channel program in place.

That changed this week when the Washington D.C.-based company launched its first structured, tiered program, the Metalogix Advantage Partner Program (MAPP), to enhance its partner alliances. The initiative provides partner certifications and enablement services, as well as technical services that partners use to build their own migration solutions that leverage Metalogix' APIs.

Metalogix has "doubled down" on its partner strategy in the last 18 months, chief marketing officer Mike Lees told CRN, and the company was in full partner recruiting mode at this week's Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference.

Metalogix delivers a suite of tools that wrap around SharePoint and Office365, filling holes in those products' capabilities and providing IT administrators with an environment that's easier to manage.