MTI looks to lure in fellow VARs with services offering
Reseller brings in new team to target channel with its first-ever partner programme
Reseller MTI is launching its first-ever partner programme in the hope of encouraging fellow VARs to sell its services offering.
The Godalming-based firm has hired former Iomart channel boss Chris Roberts and a team of other channel veterans to spearhead the new channel recruitment drive, which it hopes will win it about 50 VAR partners after it formally launches in January.
The Mpower programme will see resellers, network providers and ISVs gain access to MTI's services as well as traditional benefits such as marketing and support.
The decision was driven by a combination of both demand from its peers and desire to scale its own business, according to Roberts.
"It's completely new for us," he said. "Cloud and services were meant to simplify things. Rather than having to buy a switch from Cisco, a server from Dell and support from someone else, with the cloud you buy it as a service. We'll take all of that – infrastructure, maintenance and so on – and wrap it up as a single service... and [resellers] can access that through us via one SLA."
The new programme takes the form of three accreditation levels – top-level Alliance partners, then Solution and Reseller partners – all of which can access MTI's new partner portal which allows them to register new business leads and obtain pricing and marketing resources.
Roberts' appointment was key to the company's efforts in targeting fellow resellers, according to MTI's senior vice president of sales in EMEA Ian Parslow.
"We have pinpointed an important opportunity for MTI to provide our expertise and knowledge of managed services to channel partners," he said.
"To properly serve this market we need a seasoned channel veteran who clearly understands the needs and requirements of UK businesses and is able to deliver measurable value to all parties. Chris' demonstrable knowledge of the EMEA channel market is a vital addition to our team."