Veeam targets dominant Symantec with trade-in scheme

Discounts of up to 30 per cent designed to help channel partners target higher-margin business

Virtualisation specialist Veeam has vowed to loosen Symantec's stranglehold on the backup and replication market with the launch of a channel-friendly replacement programme.

Under the scheme, Symantec customers can net a 30 per cent discount if they switch to Veeam's backup and replication solutions for VMware and Hyper-V. The programme also applies to customers of other legacy solutions from the likes of McAfee and Acronis, although the discounts may not be as high.

Veeam - which booked more than $100m (£63m) of business last year - hopes the scheme will give end users the nudge they need to move away from a legacy solution to one purpose-built for virtualised environments.

It is also designed to help its 640 UK partners target higher-margin, new-product business, rather than farming maintenance renewals at five per cent.

Ian Wells, regional director for northern Europe at Veeam, claimed that 38 per cent of all servers are now virtualised, with that percentage standing even higher in Veeam's SMB and mid-market stomping ground.

"In the physical world and by market share, Symantec is the number one but now the virtualisation market is becoming more important, we are in a serious position to challenge Symantec's dominance," Wells told ChannelWeb.

"Now is the time to step up the challenge.

"This promotion means that, for not a lot more money, customers can acquire a shiny, new, built-for-purpose backup solution rather than simply renewing the maintenance on their legacy solution."

The discount, which is available until 25 June, applies to the Enterprise and Standard Editions of Veeam Backup & Replication.