2008 Channel Chiefs: The 100 Percent Club
Click ahead to find out which channel chiefs are members of the "100 percent club," relying on the channel for all of their revenue. Here the chiefs also share with us what they feel were the major accomplishments of their channel organizations in the past year.
JIM LIMA
Director of Channel Sales and Marketing
A10 Networks
Describe your channel organization's major accomplishments over the past year:
Over the past year our focus was on recruiting and working with key channel partners based on the mid year introduction of our AX Series Application Traffic Manager - Next-generation Server Load Balancers. We added three new channel partners in the US and built the channel significantly in Asia Pacific region. [READ MORE]
DIRK OLSEN
Acer America
Director of Marketing
Describe your channel organization's major accomplishments over the past year:
Major accomplishments made by Acer's commercial channel in 2007 include: 1. expanded reach into SMB VARs. 2. expanded reach to consumers buying from the channel. 3. further infrastructure development for communicating with VARs. [READ MORE]
ALEX QUINONEZ
Astaro
VP Americas Sales and Support
Describe your channel organization's major accomplishments over the past year:
Boosted partner profitability by 40 percent, created two track technical education program, created a quick start program to get new channel recruits into active resellers closing business within 30 days. [READ MORE]
JOE ASHCRAFT
Brother International - Business Machines Group
VP, Sales
Describe your channel organization's major accomplishments over the past year:
We've increased our presence in the VAR Channel with introduction of new, cost efficient color laser product. Our Preferred Partner Program has grown as well. [READ MORE]
WENDY PETTY
VP, North American Sales
FalconStor Software
Describe your channel organization's major accomplishments over the past year:
Among our major accomplishments were launching our 2 tier distribution channel and receiving channel-wide product recognition for our CDP Virtual Appliance by winning CMP's Tech Innovator of the Year award. [READ MORE]
MICHAEL VALENTINE
VP, Americas Channel Sales
Fortinet
Describe your channel organization's major accomplishments over the past year:
During the short time that Michael Valentine has been with Fortinet, he has been instrumental in leading great growth for Fortinet's channel organization, driving the company to:
- Expand its network of North America technology distributors by signing with Ingram Micro and Tech Data
- Sign more than 700 new partners in the Americas Grow the internal Fortinet channel team by 82 percent, also creating a specialized inside channel account team
- Further update its award-winning FortiPartner program with new terms, a new direct marketing reseller (DMR) program, and added enhancements to deal registration
DAN WENSLEY VP, Partner Development
LPI Level Platforms
Describe your channel organization's major accomplishments over the past year:
Growth -- Last year Level Platforms grew 350% and was solidly profitable. Our solution provider partner base has grown to well over 2,600 partners in 29 countries.
[READ MORE]
MIKE CULLEN
VP, Sales
N-able Technologies
Describe your channel organization's major accomplishments over the past year:
- Introduced Field Sales resources and strategically aligned the sales force into teams to better service and support the varying needs of our partners and grow their business.
- Teamed with Intel and expanded footprint internationally with addition of China, expansion in Europe and the upcoming debut of an Australia/NZ branch office in February 2008.
- Streamlined partner engagement strategy to better align our sales folks (inside and field) with the partner development teams and also introduced the Velocity Partner Center.
- Moved pricing from user license to per device, giving the channel partners more flexibility and greater return on investment.
SHEILA O'NEIL
Senior Director of Channel Sales
Panasonic Computer Solutions Company
Describe your channel organization's major accomplishments over the past year:
- Implemented Wireless Partner Program for broadband wireless activations with compensation
- Implemented TP3 Marketing Program that: a. Provided significant marketing development funding for select partners b. Expanded sales of strategic products c. Offered agency services for collaborative campaign creation.
- Enhanced Rules of Engagement program to broaden deal eligibility, address diverse solution provider representative selling models and improve administration.
CHRISTOPHER M. FRANEY
VP Sales and Marketing
Samsung
Describe your channel organization's major accomplishments over the past year:
Enabling our channel partner's growth via increased training and solution tools, and crisp product launches, and to provide and deliver information where the customer needs it. [READ MORE]
NANCY REYNOLDS
VP, Channel and SMB sales, North America
Trend Micro
Describe your channel organization's major accomplishments over the past year:
Our major accomplishment over the past year was we aligned with the SMB sales team to provide incremental sales, marketing and engineering resources to our partner community. [READ MORE]
RAJEEV LAGHATE (CO-CHIEF WITH CLINTON GATEWOOD)
VP, Operations, and VP, Corporate Development
Zenith Infotech
Describe your channel organization's major accomplishments over the past year:
Zenith Infotech's partner community nearly doubled from 2006-2007, largely due to overwhelmingly positive response to the company's managed services infrastructure and back-office network operating center services.
[READ MORE]
CLINTON GATEWOOD (CO-CHIEF WITH RAJEEV LAGHATE)
VP, Operations, and VP, Corporate Development
Zenith Infotech
Describe your channel organization's major accomplishments over the past year:
Zenith Infotech's partner community nearly doubled from 2006-2007, largely due to overwhelmingly positive response to the company's managed services infrastructure and back-office network operating center services.
[READ MORE]