Channel Awards
Simon Meredith talks to two vendors hoping for success in this year's awards.
CA banks on growth
Computer Associates (CA) hopes to put itself firmly in contention for a channel award this year by focusing its channel programmes on two key areas and helping resellers to build business around these areas.
Andy Shepperd, vice president of EMEA channel sales at the company, said that with the latest versions of its flagship products, ArcServe 9.0 and AntiVirus 7.0, now on the market, CA has the most comprehensive and scalable proposition for securing networks and storing data.
In single units, these products are affordable for the SME but can scale up to meet corporate needs, Shepperd claimed. He believes that CA can compete for all three of the Channel Awards vendor categories: Corporate, SME and Specialist.
The company is stepping up its channel activity significantly. It is investing in skills and has revised its accreditation programme.
Dave Ball, the firm's director of indirect marketing in Europe, said: "We are keen to develop specialists in the partner community. We want to drive the data protection message.
"We have introduced a training and certification programme for sales people and we are planning one for sales and marketing."
CA will work hard to get the support it needs to win an award this year, according to Shepperd.
"The awards are very prestigious. There is nothing better than getting an independent endorsement which says that this is a good company for the channel with great products. We will be doing everything we can to merit nomination for this year's awards," he said.
CRN analysis
Accreditations for sales and marketing people, as well as technical staff, will add a new dimension to CA's channel programme and may stimulate some business. If the company's products prove to be as easy to sell and as effective as CA claims, it could well be in line for one of this year's vendor awards.
Vendor convergence favours Alcatel
Alcatel has its roots in the voice market, but this year convergence is bringing the company into contact with many more resellers, most of which have a data background. Convergence also putting the company in the frame for this year's channel awards.
Jacqui Lancashire, marketing manager for northern Europe at the company, said that the channel is a huge priority for Alcatel. "The prestige of winning an award organised by the leading channel magazine will be great for our partners and for Alcatel," she said.
"Customers take notice of awards, which prove not only that the products are good but that they are dealing with a firm with a proven record of creating solutions and solving business problems."
Lancashire believes that Alcatel will be a contender for the Corporate, SME and Specialist Vendor awards. "We've made huge steps to improve our product portfolio and created training and accreditation schemes designed to improve partners' skills," she said.
Recent activities have included the Reactor lead-generation initiative, a 'contact centre channel readiness' programme and a fast-track training scheme for Alcatel's OmniPCX Enterprise e-communications product.
CRN analysis
Although it is a relative newcomer for many resellers in the data world, Alcatel is one of the key vendors in the convergence space. With this part of the market growing fast, the company could be a contender in all the vendor categories.
Put yourself in the running
Eight categories at the Channel Awards will be put to a vote from a shortlist of six companies.
Voting will start in September and go on until late October. The shortlists will be drawn up by a panel of independent judges from entries received between now and 4 July. This means that if you want to be in with a chance of winning, you have to put yourself forward.
It is easy to enter and, as long as you provide a certain amount of information, the judges will consider your entry carefully. To post your entry, go to www.crn.vnunet.com and click on the Channel Awards button.
The eight categories you can enter are:
- Corporate Vendor of the Year
- SME Vendor of the Year
- Specialist Vendor of the Year
- Corporate Distributor of the Year
- SME Distributor of the Year
- Specialist Distributor of the Year
- Corporate Reseller of the Year
- SME Reseller of the Year
All CRN reader votes will be audited by the Audit Bureau of Circulation.