Sepaton wants to double it UK reseller numbers
Vendor targets an additional three channel partners to improve its regional presence
Virtual Tape Library (VTL) vendor Sepaton plans to strengthen its regional presence by more than doubling its UK reseller numbers.
The vendor, which operates a 100 per cent channel strategy in the UK, is looking to recruit about three additional reseller partners, bringing its total number of UK VARs to five. Sepaton currently works with Morse and Redstor in the UK.
Christo Conidaris, EMEA sales director at Sepaton, told CRN that it is important to empower partners and place them into a position where they can add value.
“We are on a tight schedule and we want to have all of our partners on board and trained by October,” he said.
In addition to a background in the backup and recovery market, Sepaton’s new resellers will be required to demonstrate their ability to add sales value. Prospective channel partners will also need the skills to engage with customers at different employee levels, such as the chief executive and the IT department.
Conidaris added that Sepaton, which opened its first UK sales office last month, focuses on the enterprise market, but he claimed its products also appeal to the mid-market.
Peter Critchley, strategy director at VAR Morse, told CRN that Sepaton’s announcement is a natural channel strategy evolution.
“Bringing three more VARs on board doesn’t worry us,” he said. “We have a very strong relationship with Sepaton.”
Sepaton does not yet have any distribution partners in the UK. However, Conidaris added that such partnerships are a possibility.
“In Asia we have distribution partners,” he said. “In the UK initially we won’t have any distribution partners, but it’s something we may bring in as part of our second phase of Sepaton’s expansion.”
However, Critchley added that the introduction of distributors into Sepaton’s UK channel could disturb the established mix.
“Our preference is to deal with vendors directly, rather than the distributors,” he said. “If Sepaton wants to use distributors to create a high-volume channel then that is a different issue.”