CA guns for Microsoft cloud VARs
Software giant follows up technology tie-up with partner recruitment drive
CA Technologies is on the hunt for cloud-focused Microsoft VARs to sell the latest addition to its ARCserve data protection portfolio.
The product - ARCserve D2D On Demand - is due to launch in September and allows end users to back up data, either locally or offsite, in a Microsoft Azure-powered cloud.
The offering is being targeted at SMBs and offered through partners who will bill customers monthly.
Its launch follows CA's announcement in May that it was joining forces with Microsoft to develop a software-as-a-service version of its data protection tools based on the software giant's Azure cloud platform.
Speaking to Channelweb, Chris Ross, vice president of EMEA and Asia-Pacific channel sales for CA's data management unit, said the firm was on the hunt for Microsoft partners to push the product.
"We will reach out to Microsoft's partner base, of which there are about 50,000 across Europe," he said.
"It is a very broad solution that is simple to deploy: any [Microsoft] reseller can sell it and get a taste of how the managed service provider model works."
Microsoft partners that sign up will gain access to CA's entire data protection portfolio and make up to 40 per cent margin on certain products, claimed Ross.
"The headline statement is: If you want to sell data management software and make good margins on it, you need to be working with CA," added Ross.
Cliff Fox, managing director of Microsoft Gold Partner SICL, said cloud-based backup is in great demand from SMBs, and that many VARs already have offerings in place.
"The Azure platform is interesting, but we have gone down a different route and chosen to offer cloud ourselves rather than use a resale proposition," he said.
Steven Hennessey, sales director at Microsoft Gold Partner Computerworld Business Solutions, said his firm has recently seen massive adoption of its cloud-based backup services from SMBs.
"There is definitely a demand for cloud-based backup from SMBs," he said. "It is now among the top three services we offer to our SMB clients."