Red Hat hunts for allies

Open source giant Red Hat has hinted that it might look to extend its new Open Source Channel Alliance scheme to Europe if the US launch proves successful.

The vendor unveiled its Alliance scheme, based on a consortium of open source ISVs, in the US this week. The aim is to deliver the value of open source technologies to a large base of VARs and system integrators, through a partnership with business process services company Synnex.

Speaking at the launch, Peter Larocque, president of US distribution at Synnex, said: “This alliance will enable us to provide complete open source solution packages that can deliver the kind of RoI that our customers require.”

Roger Egan, vice president of channel sales, north America, at Red Hat, said: “This is a very exciting time for open source in the channel. Our expanded partnership with Synnex allows us to create a scalable way to bring the power of open source solutions to a wider range of resellers.

“Synnex has a deep understanding of how to leverage the channel markets and there is a surge of demand for open source, so our partnership is well timed to meet market dynamics.”

However, the scheme is yet to be extended to other territories. In an exclusive statement to CRN, Mark Enzweiler, vice president of global channels at Red Hat, said: “The announcement is focused on Red Hat’s North America markets at present. However, we hope to roll out similar partnerships in the future in all our geographical regions.”