DataCore set to pounce on LeftHand partners

HP recently announced its intention to purchase LeftHand Networks

Storage vendor DataCore Software is gearing up to recruit LeftHand Networks’ partners, after HP recently announced its intended purchase of the virtualisation and iSCSI vendor for $360m (£203m).
At Storage Expo earlier this month, the vendor was keen to reassure LeftHand partners that there was an alternative in the market.

Keith Joseph, channel manager of DataCore, said: “LeftHand has partners for its HP, Dell and IBM servers ­ – its Dell and IBM partners may be thinking they have lost their software, so we are offering them an alternative.

“We are poking our heads above the trench and letting LeftHand’s partners know that DataCore is channel focused, flexible and that they have the choice to come over to us.”

Peter Godden, regional sales director UK at LeftHand Networks, said: “DataCore has announced it will take some of our partners ­ it will not. We made the same announcement when Dell acquired EqualLogic.”

In June, LeftHand claimed it was profiting from Dell’s acquisition of EqualLogic, after it recruited 145 partners from its rival seven months after the $1.4bn (£711m) deal was announced.

Dave Barnes, technical manager EMEA at LeftHand Networks, said: “At the moment it is about letting our customer and partner base know about the announcement.”

Adam Thew, StorageWorks Division business unit manager at HP, could not provide a comment on the details of the imminent acquisition. “All we can say at the moment is that LeftHand would be a good fit with HP’s portfolio of storage for an adaptive infrastructure and that a partner strategy will be put in place,” he said.

Speaking to CRN in September, LeftHand said it had put its European expansion plans on hold to throw weight behind its UK and Benelux operations.

Angus Reid, channel marketing manager for EMEA at LeftHand, said: “A month ago I said we would wait until the time was right to expand ­ with HP we can definitely expand our presence.”