Riverbed targets SMEs
WAN optimisation vendor launches flurry of products tailored to smaller firms
Riverbed has launched new products tailored for the SME market as the WAN optimisation vendor attempts to move completely indirect.
The vendor is now seeking additional resellers for the new products, after it claimed WAN optimisation will become a key issue in 2006.
Riverbed has been working in the enterprise space attempting to improve the performance of firms’ WAN by cutting costs and improving efficiency, but channel demand forced Riverbed to realign.
Mark Lewis, marketing director EMEA at Riverbed, said: “Channel partners said they wanted our products at a lower price-point and we are now launching a low-end product for the SME market that will cover firms with five offices or less.”
Riverbed currently has limited direct sales, but Lewis said the vendor could be fully indirect by the end of the year.
“We have 150 worldwide channel partners and want to recruit other resellers, but we do not compete with our own channel.”
Lewis said any reseller keen to work in WAN optimisation could partner with Riverbed, while a vertical focus in legal, architecture, finance, telecoms and engineering will also prove valuable.
“WAN optimisation growth will be awesome and in terms of direction it will replace routers, servers and storage at the branch office so you can manage one device and cut costs,” added Lewis.
David Galton-Fenzi, group sales director at sole-UK distribution partner Zycko, said: “As a product Riverbed it is right up there and you can go to any network and have a powerful story to enhance performance and cut costs.”
Galton-Fenzi claimed the Riverbed product can improve the cost and data processing of networks ten-fold. He said Zycko are looking for the right balance of partners for the new Riverbed product to avoid over-distribution.
“We have got a lot of projected business, and we are getting the resellers signed. We have a handful of resellers who specialise on this and we are pushing this side of our business. There are 20 to 30 resellers in the queue and we hope to sign 40 altogether,” he said.
Galton-Fenzi added the Riverbed product should appeal to any reseller with end-users keen to improve the performance of their WAN.