5 Companies That Came To Win This Week

The Week Ending May 22

This week's roundup of companies that came to win include Salesforce.com's first-quarter financial results that speak louder than recent critical comments from competitors; a secure server product from a startup that helps customers deal with the problem of high-visibility cyberattacks; Verizon's efforts to help its channel partners expand into the public sector; GlobalSign's new channel program that offers solution providers an entry into the potentially lucrative Internet-of-Things market; and Barracuda Networks' alliance with distributor Tech Data, which greatly expands its potential market.

Not everyone in the IT industry was making smart moves this week, of course. For a rundown of companies that were unfortunate, unsuccessful or just didn't make good decisions, check out this week's Five Companies That Had A Rough Week roundup.

Salesforce.com Records 23 Percent Q1 Sales Growth, Sets Eyes On $10 Billion

There's been a lot of trash-talking among the top executives of the big application companies lately, with much of it aimed at Salesforce.com. But numbers don't lie and when it comes to growth, Salesforce.com remains on a serious roll.

This week, Salesforce.com reported that revenue in its first fiscal quarter ended April 30 soared 23 percent to $1.51 billion. That's on the heels of the cloud application company's fiscal 2015 (ended Jan. 31) in which it exceeded $5 billion in annual sales (up 26 percent to $5.37 billion) for the first time.

CEO Marc Benioff (pictured) said on this week's earnings call that he has his sights set on becoming a $10 billion company at record speed. Benioff may be known for his bluster, but it's hard to argue with a company that's backed up by an earnings statement like the one it put out this week.

Skyport Systems Emerges From Stealth With Hyper-Secured Converged Server

Deploying fully secure servers for critical workloads today requires tightly integrating hardware and software components across the technology stack. That's a challenge, given the need to work with multiple vendors, and ensure hardware manufacturers block access to physical ports, BIOS, devices and components.

Startup Skyport, which exited stealth mode this week, wins kudos in the pushing-the-technology-envelope department with its "hyper-secured" server. The SkySecure server is a fully managed converged system with advanced security features built into its core architecture -- everything from its physical case, to its hardware workings, to its networking and application software.

The demand for secure systems is there, given today's corporate anxiety over data breaches and cyberattacks. Skyport seems to have the right formula to meet that demand.

Verizon Expands Partner Efforts To The Public Sector

Verizon Enterprise Solutions is assembling a Public Sector Channel Program to recruit and train partners who can sell the communications company's services in the public sector and drive growth in that arena.

This week, Verizon told CRN that there is a lot of money to be made by partners in the public sector because of high demand for Verizon's services. The company is the largest communications services provider to the U.S. federal government, but, until now, that has been a direct sales business for the company. Adam Famularo, Verizon Enterprise Solutions vice president of global channels, said the company realizes it needs a stable of public sector channel partners to maintain its growth.

The new program will have the same benefits the company offers in its commercial partner program, including training, certification, deal registration, net neutral compensation and more.

GlobalSign Launches Reseller Program Offering IoT Security Opportunities

GlobalSign, a developer of PKI (public key infrastructure), identity management and access management technologies, unveiled a new partner program this week that offers solution providers an entry into the potentially lucrative Internet-of-Things market.

The promise of IoT is that it will link billions of devices, from industrial sensors to home thermostats. But that creates significant security challenges, and GlobalSign sees opportunities to provide the technology to address those challenges.

For its new Enterprise Reseller Program, the company is recruiting solution providers who focus on selling complex solutions around PKI, identity access management and certificates, as well as related services, especially to midsize and large companies. Those who sign on for the new program can sell the entire GlobalSign portfolio.

Barracuda Quadruples Partner Reach With Tech Data Deal

Barracuda Networks this week struck a deal with Tech Data through which the distributor will provide Barracuda's full portfolio of content, network and application security products, and storage systems to solution providers in the U.S.

Barracuda said the move potentially quadruples the number of channel partners that have access to its products. It builds off the channel momentum the company started last month, when it launched initiatives to allow partners to purchase Barracuda Backup and Barracuda NG Firewall products on behalf of their customers.