Novell makes moves to bolster its channel
Software vendor to launch a series of partner initiatives
Novell will launch a series of partner initiatives to help strengthen its UK channel, and has revealed it is looking to make further acquisitions.
The software vendor told CRN that it currently makes contact with its channel partners about every two weeks, but it now intends to change this to a weekly meeting.
However, Chris Papayianni, area general manager for the western region at Novell, told CRN that such a change was unlikely to happen overnight.
“Our channel wants more touchpoints with Novell, so we have increased the numbers in our channel support team,” he said. “We are now going to get account representatives to visit them on a weekly basis, but this will take between three and six months to happen.”
To beef up its UK channel, Novell will begin to look at ways it can allow its distributors, such as Ingram Micro, and VARs, such as Associated Network Solutions (ANS), to strengthen and build their businesses through demand-generation schemes, Papayianni said.
Scott Fletcher, chairman of ANS, told CRN: “Novell doesn’t do enough to support its channel partners, so the more it can do to support them, the better. Also, Linux is a growing area for Novell, so to make an acquisition around these areas is a smart move.”
Papayianni added that Novell also intends to build on its recent $72m acquisition of eSecurity.
“We will look to make acquisitions based around Linux and identity management,” he said.
“Put it this way: we are a vendor with $1.6bn in cash and assets, and we hope to spend some of that on acquisitions.”