Dell big beasts suit Kace
Systems management vendor snags a host of top names from parent company's channel
Kace has made good on its pledge to raid the upper echelons of the Dell channel with the addition of Kelway, Softcat, Lanway, CCS Media and Ricoh as Certified partners.
Several of these have strong EqualLogic credentials, and Kace EMEA sales director Seann Gardiner claimed that there were similarities between the two Dell-owned vendors.
"A lot of partners see us as a similar value proposition to EqualLogic - it is margin rich, differentiated and easy to use," he explained.
VARs can get certified quickly, added Gardiner, as the necessary two technical experts can be trained in two and half hours, and the two sales staff in just 60 minutes.
Certified partners benefit from marketing funds and can make a 30 per cent margin on registered deals, which are protected for 120 days.
Gardiner added that the vendor is also looking to swell EMEA direct touch numbers to 40 by the end of the year, with 11 of those serving the UK.
"Systems management has traditionally been a very difficult thing for partners to sell, with a long sales cycle and complex skills," he said. "We allow partners to sell it more transactionally."