Dell sets sights on storage VARs

Vendor wants to increase the number of certified VARs within its Enterprise Architecture programme

Dell aims to open the door to a wider range of Enterprise Architecture-certified partners

Dell wants to double the number of certified partners within the Enterprise Architecture (EA) sector of its PartnerDirect programme.

Dell said there are currently more than 200 EA-certified partners within EMEA, which is aimed at VARs with a background in data storage.

The vendor said it would be “specifically targeting” resellers specialising in virtualisation, servers and networking.

Bob Skelley, director of Enterprise Architecture at Dell, said: “The company is seeing the best traction with Enterprise Architecture-certified partners in EMEA and we want to build on that success by adding more."

In return for getting on board with the firm, resellers will be rewarded with a choice of instructor-led, hands-on and online product training and access to marketing resources.

Certified members of the Enterprise Architecture programme can opt to specialise in servers or storage – a feature Skelley said the firm intends to expand in the future.

He said that although no formal decisions have been made, networking and virtualisation are two areas of specialisation the firm could introduce in the future.

“The aim is to attract VARs with a wider range of specialities," he added. " At the moment, we are still in the process of talking to our partners to find out what areas of specialisation they think would benefit them most.”