Iomega claims channel push has come good

Expansion from roots in consumer market is on track, says network storage vendor

EMC-owned Iomega has said it has survived its first "true" year as a channel firm, despite potential difficulties in convincing resellers and customers that it is no longer entirely consumer focused.

The vendor said the Thai floods last year "forced its hand" to move away faster from the USB consumer market into network storage solutions for business.

Iomega has already signed up about 25 resellers this year to its single-tier Premier Partner Programme, but it hopes to double that number over the coming months.

The firm attributes parent company EMC, which acquired Iomega in 2008, as part of the reason why it was able to transform into a channel-focused business.

Iomega's UK and Ireland country manager Andy Connor said the vendor gave it more credibility in the storage market.

"Emphasising that we are part of EMC is a strong point. Some resellers think EMC is out of their price range, but still have a credible storage requirement for its products," he added. "With us, they can have products engineered by EMC, with its philosophy and upgrades, but from us and with an SMB price.

"EMC brings us a lot of credibility."

Connor claimed that further vendor credibility will be gained following the announcement of EMC and Lenovo's partnership.

The joining will see the two companies work together on server technology, which will be taken to market by Lenovo and embedded into some EMC storage systems. Additionally, the pair has formed an OEM and reseller relationship, from which Iomega claims it stands to benefit.

Connor said: "This is a major step forward for us. Lenovo is very big and opens up a new level of customer base for us to work with. It is a great business and we see that Lenovo is doing much more in the SMB market."