ARC 2014: Top 10 Channel Program Scores

The Best Vendor Partner Programs

IT vendors need solution providers to be successful, just as solution providers need IT vendors to be successful. And vendors' solution provider programs are where the two meet, so relationships can succeed or fail based on how well those programs work.

Channel partners surveyed for CRN's 2014 Annual Report Card rated vendors' solution provider programs as part of the broader partnership criteria. Here are the 10 best, counting down to the vendor with the top-ranked solution provider program.

10. EMC: Enterprise Network Storage

CEO: Joe Tucci

EMC scored 80.5 in the solution provider criterion for this specific product category, the tenth highest score given for solution provider programs across all Annual Report Card technology categories. That was up from the vendor's 77.4 solution provider program score last year.

But while EMC won this product category overall, it was outscored by another vendor in the solution provider criterion. EMC has been in the process of revamping its partner program and maybe that's causing some disruptions.

9. EMC: Backup & Recovery

CEO: Joe Tucci

EMC scored 81.1 in the solution provider criterion for this specific product category, the ninth highest score given for solution provider programs across all Annual Report Card technology categories. That was up from the vendor's 79.8 solution provider program score last year.

EMC unveiled in May details of its new EMC Business Partner Program, which is scheduled to replace the current Velocity partner program in January.

8. D-Link: Network Storage SMB

CEO: Roger Kao

D-Link scored 81.2 in the solution provider criterion for this specific category, the eighth highest score given for solution provider programs across all Annual Report Card technology categories. That was up significantly from the vendor's 70.8 solution provider program score last year.

But D-Link's solution provider program score was, nevertheless, only second in this product category.

7. IBM: Enterprise Network Storage

CEO: Ginni Rometty

IBM scored 81.4 in the solution provider criterion for this category, the seventh highest score given for solution provider programs across all Annual Report Card technology categories. That marked an impressive gain from the vendor's 65.3 score for solution provider program last year.

IBM came in second to EMC in all criteria in this product category. But it outscored EMC in this one item.

6. Dell: Converged Infrastructure

CEO: Michael Dell

Dell scored 81.5 in the solution provider criterion for this specific product category, the sixth highest score given for solution provider programs across all Annual Report Card technology categories. That was up from the vendor's 78.0 score for solution provider program last year.

Dell's higher solution provider program score was one of the factors that boosted Dell from third overall in last year's survey in converged infrastructure, behind Cisco and Hewlett-Packard, to No. 1 this year.

5. Intel: Processors

CEO: Brian Krzanich

Intel scored 81.7 in the solution provider criterion for this product category, the fifth highest score given for solution provider programs across all Annual Report Card technology categories.

4. Sophos: Client Security Software

CEO: Kris Hagerman

Sophos scored 82.5 in the solution provider criterion for this product category, the fourth highest score given for solution provider programs across all Annual Report Card technology categories.

That was up from the vendor's 76.1 score for solution provider program last year, a gain that helped the company surpass Kaspersky Lab, last year's overall No. 1 vendor in client security software, and capture the No. 1 spot this year.

3. Cisco: Enterprise Networking Infrastructure

CEO: John Chambers

Cisco scored 83.0 in the solution provider criterion for this specific product category, the third highest score given for solution provider programs across all Annual Report Card technology categories. That was up from the vendor's 76.7 score for solution provider program last year.

At Cisco's annual partner summit in March, Cisco executives said the company's Unified Computing System business had grown to $2.2 billion. They also said there were 3,800 partners selling UCS products and 2,000 partners held a UCS specialization certification.

2. EMC: Network Storage SMB

CEO: Joe Tucci

EMC scored 83.0 in the solution provider criterion for this product category, the second highest score given for solution provider programs across all Annual Report Card technology categories. That was up from the vendor's 78.6 score for solution provider program last year.

EMC came in second overall in this product category last year, runner-up to Buffalo Technology. EMC's improved score for its solution provider program was one reason EMC came out on top this year.

1. Sophos: Network Security Appliances

CEO: Kris Hagerman

Sophos scored 86.9 in the solution provider program criterion in this product category, the highest score given in this specific criterion in this year's Annual Report Card survey. The high score helped the vendor win the product category overall against Fortinet, Cisco and other competitors.

Last year Sophos scored 77.7 for solution provider program -- also the highest in the network security appliance category -- but the vendor still placed third overall behind Fortinet and Trend Micro.

Credit channel chief Kendra Krause, who joined Sophos in April 2013 and in the last year has launched a new partner program and deal registration system, overhauled the company's distribution strategy and structured a sales team to better support partners.