Juniper channel revamp rewards service skills

Hallatt: We have placed greater emphasis on rewarding partners for the value they bring to customers

Vendor Juniper Networks has a new UK channel chief and partner programme and aims to help VARs build services revenue streams.

Jonathan Hallatt has been with the company for more than three years and replaced Andy Travers as head of channels for the UK and Ireland at the beginning of the year. He previously worked at Azzurri.

The vendor’s J-Partner Programme now offers VARs Juniper kit through three specialised product areas: advanced security; network infrastructure and advanced network infrastructure. Built around each of these is a services specialisation.

“We have placed greater emphasis on recognising and rewarding partners for the value they bring to customers, rather than just their volume of revenue,” said Hallatt.

Three programmes have also been added to the vendor’s channel offering, based on managed services provision, consultancy and service provider infrastructure expertise.Juniper entered the enterprise switching market last year and Hallatt said recruiting

partners with networking expertise was a priority. He also revealed that the vendor will be ploughing $840m into research and development this year.

He indicated Juniper would use its relationship with IBM Global Finance to help VARs weather the testing economic conditions.

“We will work with partners to put together campaigns around the type of customers they are after,” he said.

Jonathan Lassman, managing director of Select Partner Network Technology Solutions, welcomed Hallatt’s appointment and lauded the programme’s service focus.

“We are services orientated and look for opportunities to show our customers what we can do, rather than simply what our vendors can do,” he said. “Jonathan understands how the channel works, having come from that background.”