Veritas Wields Backup Market Share

Veritas' strong 57 percent market share in the backup space, based on figures from research firm Gartner, does not tell the entire story of customer needs, said Michael Sotnick, vice president of partner sales for the Mountain View, Calif., company.

"We know these customers know us for data protection," he said. "But how do they know if their data is fully protected? This SMB space is the fastest-growing. They need more than just data protection. So we're going off the trust they have in Backup Exec to get them to work with our other products."

Veritas has in the last six to nine months re-organized its U.S. sales force to include 20 people in the field driving new business along with 30 internal salespeople assisting them, Sotnick said.

In addition, the company is renewing its commitment to small and midsize enterprises with a new solution provider program to complement its existing government and enterprise programs, said Julie Parrish, senior director of channel marketing for Veritas.

The new program focuses on the full range of Veritas software, especially in the Microsoft space, Parrish said.

This includes Veritas Backup Exec 9.1 for Windows Servers with Desktop and Laptop Option and Veritas Storage Replicator data-protection applications; Veritas Backup Exec 9.1 for Windows Servers with Intelligent Disaster Recovery Option and Veritas Storage Foundation for Windows data-recovery applications; and Veritas StorageCentral, Veritas Data LifeCycle Manager, and Veritas Storage Foundation for Windows for centralized management.

Veritas is also helping Microsoft-certified solution providers offer multiple storage assessments to customers per month, Sotnick said.

The new program also includes access to free sales training for solution providers focused on the SMB market, including information on how customers want to buy software and the kind of training they need, Parrish said.

Veritas is also holding a nationwide series of seminars, entitled Beyond Backup, which allow customers to come and learn the same message as solution providers, she said.

Other new program benefits include online training; a dedicated section on Veritas' Partner Network Web site for information, sales and marketing materials, and sales assistance; eligibility for inclusion in Veritas' Partner Locator database; and free CompTIA membership.

"Now we are offering much more applicable training for partners' business because of our expanded solution set in the SMB market," Parrish said. "Before, we offered a training CD for Backup Exec. Now, we offer Web-based training for the whole solution set."