Juniper values VAR versatility

David Small: Juniper's ideal partner can sell an entire solution and wrap services around it

After revamping its channel programme, Juniper Networks is aiming to keep things simple and help partners of all sizes stay afloat this year.

Earlier this month the networking and security vendor jetted partners and journalists to Spain to reflect on its 2008 performance and lay out goals for this year. In 2008 Juniper’s global revenue jumped 26 per cent to $3.57bn, helped by a 44 per cent sales spike in the UK.

Gert-Jan Schenk, EMEA senior vice president at Juniper, said: “We gained market share in all our target markets. Customers are increasingly seeing Juniper as an industry leader.”

The vendor rejigged its channel offering in February to focus more on services provision and consultancy.

Partner plans

EMEA vice president of channel sales David Small said: “If I had an ideal vision of a partner it would be one that can sell the entire solution and can wrap around a full lifecycle of services. It is about those criteria.

“However, there is still a space for very solution-focused partners; we recognise and support partners that are differentiated in a single area.”

Small also revealed investments had been made in Juniper’s internal sales team, but added that the number of accounts addressed by direct touch staff had been trimmed.

“It allows clear space for the partners to work on their own,” he added. “In instances where partners develop and create the business, the rewards in terms of margin and profitability are much higher.”

Small claimed that bolstering product development and the new services focus were just two ways of helping VARs to remain solvent and added: “We use financing to support distribution partners. We have extended the reach of those programmes.”

Juniper is also improving its partner locator tool. Details will be announced in 2009’s closing quarter, Small said. A configuration tool for VARs will also be launched in Q3.
Juniper claims its market share leapt above eight per cent last year. Executive vice president of worldwide field operations John Morris claimed his firm had a chance to target a “much larger figure”.

“We want to be a substantial player in every market we are in,” he said. “If partners do routers and security, let’s get them into switching. Almost half of first-time customers to Juniper come through switching, so let’s get them into routing and security.”

Dave Ellis, director of e-security for distributor Computerlinks, praised the partner programme.

“We have seen a number of vendors roll out what looks to be a good programme but have not managed that and, over time, the value is eroded,” he said.

Small claimed that Juniper was committed to effective and sensible enforcement of the scheme’s rules.

“We have made investments to track and manage it and it is quite closely monitored,” he said. “We have to be pragmatic about it.”