To determine the Channel Affinity Index rankings, solution providers scored vendors in 15 different categories, and also weighed those categories in terms of importance. The study found that storage virtualization VARs scored sales training as the most important factor determining affinity in the server virtualization market. VARs gave 12 percent of the final score to sales training, along with the cost and time it takes to change or add a vendor. Services attach rate also scored well, accounting for 10 percent of the total score.
The three factors indicate that storage virtualization offers solution providers not only strong services opportunities, but also strong value-add possibilities. That most likely results from small and midsize customers understanding the importance of storage virtualization while requiring hand-holding from their solution providers as they move into this relatively new technology.
However, it appears that some solution providers are willing to sell storage virtualization solutions on their own, as vendor support for joint sales calls accounted for only two percent of the total score, the lowest of the 15 factors.
