Power Alert: Eaton Woos VARs With New Campaign

At its core, the campaign uses print and online advertising, marketing, messaging and a flashy new Web site to reintroduce the data center and power management company to the IT channel and end users.

Fred Miller, Eaton's product line manager for data center solutions, said the vendor is targeting key audiences with its "Power Through" campaign, showing how Eaton can help them power through on-the-job interruptions associated with power protection, distribution and management.

As part of the campaign, Eaton has beefed up sales and support programs for VARs, hoping to increase its partner base. Eaton is also launching new programs to educate and train resellers, both online and on-site.

Miller said the program was designed with channel recruitment in mind. Eaton started the year with 250 resellers and recently hit the 800 mark. Miller said by the end of 2008 and into 2009, Eaton hopes to have 1,000 partners participating.

"We want to create awareness around the brand," he said, noting that Eaton is 100 percent channel focused.

And with power becoming a critical issue and power-per-rack going through the roof, Eaton wants to bring VARs on board to help end users concerned with power requirements.

"It's a different kind of reseller that can talk power," Miller said. "To be able to talk power to IT and its effect on the underlying infrastructure gives them an advantage. And we're trying to make that easy for them."

Miller said VARs can add value to Eaton's solutions by offering professional services around its products, while also taking on a consultative role when engaging customers about power and their concerns.

"They can go in, look at the environment and look at what they're trying to do," he said.

Coming off a round of acquisitions, which included Phoenixtech Power and MGE Office Protection Systems, Miller said Eaton will also use the "Power Through" program as a way to introduce solution providers and end users to its new rationalized product portfolio.

At Interop, Eaton also unveiled two UPSes from its Powerware product line, the Eaton 9130 and 5130 UPSes. The 9130 is an online double-conversion UPS that operates at 95 percent efficiency. The 5130 is a compact, flexible 1,250 to 3,000 VA line-interactive UPSes suited for dense rack enclosures.

Along with the two UPS releases, Eaton is continuing with the rapid integration of its recent acquisitions. At Interop, Eaton said its comprehensive power management software products are now cross-compatible with its Powerware, MGE Office Protection Systems, Aphel and Pulizzi product families.

According to Miller, through the acquisitions and product integration, Eaton has realized growth in the double digits year over year, but it will rely more on the channel to continue that path.

"2009 is where we're going to see a lot of visible gains and greater momentum," he said.