EMC pledges partner commitment in letter to channel

Vendor claims it will 'continue to invest' in the Business Partner Programme

EMC has written a lengthy letter to partners, insisting that its partner programme will only get better once the company is swallowed up by Dell.

In the note, which was written by chief executive David Goulden and filed with the Security and Exchange Commission, EMC said its commitment to partners will not change under Dell.

"EMC remains committed to its current partner go-to-market model and will continue to invest in our Business Partner Programme," he said. "EMC recognises the investments partners have made in EMC technology and the programme, and assures them it will become better and more expansive – in effect allowing them to focus on selling more comprehensive technologies and solutions faster.

"[We will continue] to enhance our partnerships and technology ecosystems, including enhancing existing products and road maps and our customary commitment to long term-support for all current products for a minimum of five years."

He added that EMC will remain working on its current product road map, which will become "more robust" once the deal closes, which is expected to happen next year.

"EMC's dedication to R&D and innovation will continue," he said. "Through a privately controlled ownership structure, we will have the freedom to incubate the most promising technologies and accelerate innovation.

"Going private eliminates billions spent each year on stock repurchases and dividends, which can be reallocated to other strategic efforts."

While EMC was writing to partners and customers, Dell sent an email to its global channel sales teams to offer them advice on what to tell any concerned partners or customers.

In the missive, Dell's chief integration officer Rory Read highlighted results of a recent survey which found that 92 per cent of all Dell and EMC customers expect to maintain or increase their level of spending with the combined company.

"It's hard to get a much more bullish signal than that," he said.

"If you are hearing concerns from any customers or partners, we encourage you to share this information and detail with them."