Centeris wants VARs to sell cross-platform suite
Vendor looking to woo resellers with offering that enables both Linux and Windows servers to work together
Server management vendor Centeris is looking for UK channel partners keen to make Linux and Windows work together.
Centeris provides a cross-platform suite for managing Linux and Windows servers and hopes to boost business for resellers working with either vendor.
Manny Vellon, vice-president of product development at Centeris, said: “We make Windows and Linux work better together. Our focus is to make Linux easier and the central aim is to let end-users manage Linux servers with Windows management tools.”
Vellon said even the most resistant firms are now demanding Linux and making Linux work with Windows is an issue of concern for channel players.
“Our target market is mid-sized to large companies with 200-plus employees. We deliver the ability to use their Windows staff to manage the Linux servers,” he claimed.
Vellon said that some firms are warned off using Linux as it would involve the replacement of current Windows skilled staff.
“Our product will be a channel product through OEMs, resellers and integrators. Our target is to have five partners which will provide a step to having a permanent footprint with a UK office by the end of the year.”
Vellon claimed a combination of Linux and Windows resellers will offer the right mix, but resellers with a networking background will also benefit from the Centeris product set.
Alan Harte, director at VAR Alcom Systems, said Centeris will have to push its products hard to the channel to build a solid reputation.
“Centeris is going to have to sell themselves to the reseller community and there will be a certain amount of breeding needed to push business.
“A lot of organisations have a mix of Linux and Windows, but regardless of the firm they look for the best solution and if that comes from Linux that is the direction they will go,” he said.
Harte added that Alcom gets requests for multiple platforms and there is still scope for a vendor to provide a cross-platform suite for managing Linux and Windows servers.