Embotics targets VMware partners in MSP programme push
Private cloud vendor claims its programme is cheaper and less complex than its larger rival's
Private cloud management firm Embotics is hoping to lure managed services providers (MSPs) away from VMware with the launch of a new partner programme, which it claims is less complex and more cost effective than the virtualisation giant's.
The MSP programme, which launches alongside its updated V-Commander product at the end of December, is targeted at tier-two and three MSPs, and subscription costs $6,000 (£3,700) per six months on a 12-month contract.
Colin Wright, Embotics' newly appointed vice president in EMEA, claimed the programme offers a cheaper and easier alternative to VMware's vCloud Director.
He said: "VMware has a VSPP [virtual service provider programme] where MSPs get products for free, but there is an indication now that there is no such thing as a free lunch. Feedback [we are getting] is that the vCloud Director is too complex.
"There is an expectation that complexity means it is a better product, but we have gone completely the other way around. It has to be simple to adopt and sell effectively around that business."
He added that the vCloud Director can take up to six months to set up, and claimed that Embotics' MSP programme has the ability to be ready in two hours.
Wright hopes the programme, which has been tested in the Nordic region, will attract 50 MSPs across Europe, with up to 15 in the UK.
Last month, Wright, who joined Embotics in the summer, revealed his plans to demote or axe up to half of the vendor's partner base. He added today that demoted partners had not responded badly, and partners that transact regularly felt more valued.
He said: "Those who wanted to do business continue to do so, and those who were not proactive moved down, but as there was little engagement, it did not have a negative impact [on them].
"It was difficult for us to give 35 per cent margin for one deal [in a year], it made no sense and devalued the investment from good partners. They accepted it positively and have said thanks for standing up and prioritising them."