RES promotes former VMware exec for partner push
Workspace management vendor launches hunt for Citrix, VMware and Microsoft partners to capitalise on desktop transformation trend
Workspace management vendor RES Software has promoted former VMware chief Steve Jackson to the role of European vice president of channels and strategic alliances.
The firm's flagship Workspace Manager allows organisations to centrally manage their physical and virtual desktop environments, and ensures users have the same personal desktop settings, regardless of their location when they log in.
Jackson joined RES at the start of the year as director of strategic alliances, where he was responsible for overseeing the activities of the firm's system integrator partners.
His new role will see Jackson's focus widen to include the vendor's distribution, reseller and hosting provider partners.
Before joining RES, he spent seven years as a director at VMware, and has also worked at hardware vendors Dell and Compaq.
Speaking to ChannelWeb, Jackson said his aim is to sign new partners and ramp up the support offered to its existing ones.
"We want to expand our channel and go deeper with our partners to help fulfil the demand we are seeing for desktop migrations, a market that is growing rapidly," he explained.
In particular, the firm is on the hunt for Citrix, VMware and Microsoft VARs, explained the firm's UK regional director, Chris Hammans.
"Twelve months ago, we were signing up a lot of smaller, entrepreneurial resellers," he said. "Now, we are seeing more interest from tier-one Citrix and VMware partners, which I think reflects how mainstream the desktop transformation market has become."
According to Hammans, nearly three quarters of the desktop projects RES partners undertake are Windows 7-related, which is why the firm is also turning its attention to the Microsoft channel.
Looking ahead, Jackson said the vendor is going to make some "considerable enhancements" to its channel enablement programme, including new sales, support and marketing initiatives.
"We are looking at how we can enhance and tweak our overall partner programme to help the channel create greater demand for our technology," he added.