Adaptec Rolls Out New Snap Channel Program

John Noellert, vice president of Americas channel sales and marketing at Adaptec, said the company's Snap Server line has historically been focused on the channel.

"But we haven't had the kind of field coverage, SE (systems engineer) coverage or deal registration programs to help partners," Noellert said. "This is about us showing up with our helmet strapped on to help partners succeed."

Coming out with a formal channel program for the Snap Server products is important for making sure partners know the value proposition of the line, Noellert said.

"We offer a unique solution enabler in that, from the entry-level to the higher-end products, we use the same operating system," he said. "Our products offer attractive prices and enterprise-class reliability. We're also a trusted brand."

Unlike companies such as Network Appliance, which sell storage appliances in the sub-$5,000 range but which might end up costing up to $12,000 by the time different software licenses are added in, Snap Server offers complete solutions that can be deployed in the $2,500 range, Noellert said.

Jerry Pape, principle of Excalibur, a Big Sky, Mont.-based solution provider focusing mainly in the small business space, said it is a good idea for Adaptec to formalize its Snap Server channel program. Pape said he was particularly thrilled with Adaptec's new opportunity registration program.

"It's a prime time for Snap Server to do this, as a lot of companies are snapping at their heels," he said. "There's Maxtor/Seagate, LinkSys, Anthology with its Yellow Machine, and Infrant approaching Snap from the bottom, and NetApp from the top. Snap's success will depend on providing a rich experience to their partners and raising awareness on the customer side."

The new Snap Server program is targeting solution providers with small and midsize enterprise storage practices, as well as those with vertical market experience, Noellert said.

It consists of three levels: solution provider, direct market partners, and registered resellers.

New to the program is an opportunity registration program at the solution provider level, which offers discounts for VARs who register new customer deals that exceed $10,000 in total. The discounts include 5 percent for entry-level products, 10 percent for JBOD (just a bunch of disk, or non-RAID) products, 15 percent for higher-end products and 25 percent for software and services.

"It's pretty easy for partners to figure out their discounts," Noellert said. "And we provide the discount at the time of purchase through the distributor."

Also new for Snap Server is a lead distribution program. "We've always done some outbound marketing, but now we're making a much larger investment," Noellert said. "With a 100-percent channel model, we have nowhere else to go with those leads but the channel."

Adapted is also offering on-site training for solution providers at no charge, and has recently formed a partner advisory council of eight to 12 solution providers who will rotate on an annual basis, Noellert said.

In addition to the above, Adaptec is also offering specialized marketing support to direct marketing partners, Noellert said. For registered resellers who do not want to step up to the solution provider level, the company is offering inside sales support, he said.

Going forward, Noellert said Adaptec will be offering more solutions to go with its NAS products, including solutions based on storage protection and storage management. However, he declined to discuss such solutions in detail.