Bland sets out Black Duck's channel masterplan

Ex-Citrix channel leader unveils reworked partner programme for the open source vendor

Ex-Citrix channel boss Kevin Bland has said the recently launched partner programme of his new employer Black Duck Software will help the channel clear up end users' confusion about open source kit.

Black Duck - which is headquartered in the US but has bases around the world, including in the UK - offers kit which helps customers streamline and manage their use of open source. Ex-Citrix man Kevin Bland (pictured) joined the company as its director of channel and alliances in April this year.

He said 80 per cent of enterprises using open source do not know what type of open source code they have, where it is located or if there are any vulnerabilities in it - something his firm's offering helps with.

He has been charged with growing the number of partners in Black Duck's ranks and spreading the word on what he claims are the risks of using open source software - and how to address them.

In his first months in the job, Bland has been working on overhauling Black Duck's partner programme, which he unveiled this week.

Speaking to CRN, Bland said: "The new Global Partner Programme allows partners to make money from selling our products, including margin, deal registration, and rebates. More importantly, we see partners as a way to scale services which are necessary to help customers realise the full potential of the solution."

He said the new programme aims to engage with new partners from three areas: security and management, managed services and auditing.

"This is an untapped market, where the problem exists in almost every organisation - the customers need educating and we have a unique value proposition which resonates," he said. "We are looking for amplification of our message and assistance in delivering the solution.

"Any partner who is interested in that kind of market opportunity and wants to get in early would be a great fit."