Topio reaches upwards to recruit larger VARs

Vendor claims extension of partner scheme will lead to extra revenue stream for resellers

Data replication software vendor Topio has claimed VARs will benefit from multiple and sustained revenue streams following the UK expansion of its global partner programme.

Topio will look to work with a larger but “intimate number” of resellers in the UK, with most of the expansion due to take place over the next six months. It will focus on forging partnerships with VARs with a strong storage background.

The launch is essentially an extension of the vendor’s existing programme that includes a business continuity service provider division.

Boaz Palgi, EMEA director at Topio, said: “This programme is designed to reiterate our relationships with partners. It will bring lots of value-added sales opportunities to partners and they will have a number of revenue streams available to them.”

Palgi claimed that, alongside margin generated from each basic software sale, VARs are also able to charge end-users an annual maintenance based on the volume of data protected by Topio software.

“Expansion through our resellers is our strategy and in the UK we want a small number that we can work closely with,” Palgi added.

Topio has also built Authorised

and Premier levels into the programme to accommodate the new VARs, which involves certification and training.

Robin Burke, research vice-president at Gartner, said EMEA turnover for data replication will grow from $500m this year to $882m by 2009.

“Data replication continues to be an important growth area in the storage management software market (SMS), accounting for one-quarter of the total SMS revenue in EMEA today. There is the potential for the channel to take advantage of the growth in data replication by providing customers with remote site replication services,” he said.