Juniper Networks' Hiring Of Tushar Kothari Signals Good Things For VARs

Kothari, who has held a number of key channel roles throughout Cisco, was most recently responsible for the Linksys product line and the rollout of what I believe was a very innovative channel program in that space.

As CRN Infrastructure Editor Jennifer Hagendorf Follett reported on CRN Online last week, Kothari spent five years as vice president of channels at Cisco and then moved into the Linksys role in 2002 after Cisco bought the fast-growing private company.

Kothari, as part of a larger team, was instrumental in a lot of the growth and success Cisco has had in the channel. He and I have spoken many times, not only about specific programs and policies surrounding partners at Cisco, but philosophically about his approach to the channel.

I've always found him to be one of the more creative thinkers. More important, he is someone who believes in listening to his channel partners.

Kothari is one of those rare channel executives who has always thought about channel partner profitability and its importance in driving a relationship that pays dividends for both the vendor and the solution provider. Kothari told CRN last week that one thing that attracted him to Juniper was his ability to work from a clean slate in building the channel program.

There is no doubt that Juniper sees Cisco as its No. 1 rival. Anytime a company faces a competitor with the market position and arsenal of Cisco, it can't hurt to find someone from the inside of that competitor to help it understand how its archrival thinks and approaches the business. Juniper, which recently completed its acquisition of NetScreen Technologies, has a broad product line and is in a solid position to become an alternative to Cisco for solution providers making a business in networking infrastructure.

It's never easy to execute on channel programs, and I'm always on the lookout for signals emanating from CEOs as to their long-term commitment to indirect channels. Juniper has certainly signaled the right message in hiring Kothari and some others, but only time will tell if they will get the resources and long-term support from the executive suite to do what's necessary.

And let's not forget that Cisco is not likely to sit still.

Both companies have advantages that they can exploit against the other, and the right marketing spin in the channel could be very effective.

Juniper is in a unique position to become the leading alternative to Cisco. Given that almost every product in high-tech is becoming a commodity, solution providers will increasingly be able to switch customers between brands"as long as they have a solid customer relationship and a business case to do so.

If Juniper can position itself as a company that is easy to do business with and has a strong program with first-class technical and sales support, and then builds a brand in the channel, it's a message solution providers will listen to.

Kothari said he wants a program that helps solution providers build profitable services practices. That is exactly the right strategic message. What it says to me is that Kothari understands that if he can make it worthwhile for solution providers to lead with Juniper products, then he is going to gain share.

It won't be easy, given that Cisco is not a company to back down in the face of competition. In the end, though, I'm betting that Juniper will be a more exciting company"one that is likely to warrant a closer look on the part of solution providers interested in infrastructure sales and services. And that's never a bad thing.

Make something happen. I can be reached at (516) 562-7812 or via e-mail at [email protected].