Adaptec partners get the Advantage
Storage vendor restructures its Connect programme in attempt to increase its mid-market presence
Storage vendor Adaptec is attempting to increase its mid-market presence by redesigning its European partner programme and recruiting 250 more partners over the next year.
Under the vendor’s Connect partner programme, which consists of three tiers – Platinum, Gold and Connect – Adaptec has renamed the Gold tier to become Advantage. VARs hoping to gain entry to this level will have to generate about £8,500 worth of Adaptec software and hardware sales each quarter.
Russ Johnson, vice-president of worldwide sales at Adaptec, told CRN: “We are enhancing the programme because the different tiers require varying levels of support. This [Advantage] tier will help to bring more profitability to our VARs. It will also get Adaptec products into the market more quickly.”
Johnson added that the Advantage tier also contains several additional benefits, including pre-assigned inside-sales support and a direct link to partners’ home pages from the vendor’s ‘where to buy’ web site.
Adaptec has 50 partners across Europe certified as Advantage-level VARs, 10 of which are in the UK. Johnson said the firm wants to grow the number of Advantage partners to 250 worldwide over the next year.
Stuart Borst, corporate business manager at Adaptec distributor CMS Peripherals, told CRN: “Recruiting 250 more partners is a good number. Any more than that and Adaptec will risk losing focus. Most major storage vendors have changed their channel programmes in the past 12 months. This has been to increase focus on the SME market.”