CRN's 2014 Network Connectivity Services Partner Program Guide (Part Two)

The IT-Telecom Convergence

The 2014 Network Connectivity Services Partner Program Guide highlights the industry's leading portfolios of telecom, cloud and connectivity offerings. It also recognizes those industry players who seem ready, willing and able to help partners wrap their arms around IT-Telecom convergence, and the many moving parts it entails.

The information included in the Network Connectivity Partner Program Guide was provided by each company in its application.

Here, we present the second part of CRN's 2014 Network Connectivity Partner Program Guide. Also, be sure to check out part one.

MCPc, Inc.

Program: MCPc Partner Program

Channel Program Manager: Jed Ayres

Title: SVP - Marketing & Partner Management

Location: Cleveland, Ohio

URL: http://www.mcpc.com/network-solutions

A Cisco Gold and Cisco Cloud Partner, MCPc offers a multiverse of network connectivity solutions and services to clients. This includes assessment and optimization services infrastructure, wireless LAN technology, unified communications, network security, telecommunications, carrier services, managed services, and the MyCloud team of experts.

MegaPath

Program: MegaPath Partner Program

Channel Program Manager: Matt Hutchinson

Title: VP Channel Sales

Location: Pleasanton, Calif.

URL: http://www.megapath.com/partners/

MegaPath's multi-tiered Partner Program allows partners to differentiate themselves and drive profitability. MegaPath's partner network includes more than 4,500 Master Agents, VARs, solution providers and independent IT consultants throughout North America. MegaPath's Channel Partner Program reaches a variety of businesses across North America, from small to midsize businesses to large distributed enterprises. MegaPath offers competitive compensation to its channel partners, which includes competitive commissions with timely payouts, spiffs, direct deposit funds and awards recognizing the sales achievements of MegaPath's partners.

Mellanox Technologies

Program: Mellanox PartnerFIRST Program

Channel Program Manager: Kara Montgomery

Title: Director of Channel Marketing

Location: Sunnyvale, Calif.

URL: https://partners.mellanox.com/English/

The Mellanox PartnerFirst Program is designed to give partners a distinct advantage by providing single-vendor access to complete end-to-end InfiniBand and Ethernet interconnect solutions with best-in-class profitability. Lead-sharing, early product information and technical/sales training curricula are just some of the many benefits of this program, all designed to provide distinct advantage over the competition. Most importantly, the program is margin-rich and opens the door to additional revenue opportunities.

Microsoft

Program: Microsoft Partner Network

Channel Program Manager: Phil Sorgen

Title: Corporate Vice President, Worldwide Partner Group

Location: Redmond, Wash.

URL: https://mspartner.microsoft.com

Founded in 1975, Microsoft is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Mitel

Program: Mitel Authorized Partner Service Program

Channel Program Manager: Renato Mariani

Title: VP Marketing/B2B Channel Marketing

Location: Kanata, Ontario

Mitel channel partners, service providers, telecommunications consultants, developers, and others come together to get best-of-breed solutions into the hands of time-crunched and money-conscious users. Mitel partner programs offer a breadth of resources and support for everything from marketing and sales to ground-up technical development.

NCP Engineering

Program: NCP Channel Alliance Partner Program

Channel Program Manager: Imtinan Hussain (pictured far right)

Title: Director of Sales & Business Development

Location: Mountain View, Calif.

URL: https://www.ncp-e.com/en/partner/become-a-channel-partner.html

NCP engineering's Channel Alliance Partner Program provides resellers with best-in-class IPsec and SSL VPN solutions. NCP's program is designed to help partners of every level (Gold, Silver and Registered) succeed and prosper by providing qualified leads, partner training, events and a rewards program. Every channel partner can offer customers universally compatible remote access VPN client software that is easy to use and connects to a network with one click. Gold and Silver partners can provide NC's enterprise solution, which features central VPN management capabilities for IT administrators.

NETGEAR

Program: PowerSHIFT Partner Program

Channel Program Manager: Garrick Lee

Title: Senior Channel Marketing Manager

Location: San Jose, Calif.

URL: http://powershift.netgear.com

Netgear PowerShift partners have access to a wide array of sales, marketing and support resources. Netgear's partner program is designed to increase resellers' revenues and grow their business through MDF, deal registration, sales incentives, volume incentive rebates, pre-sales support, and training. Netgear is committed to channel partner support and offers 24-hour Advanced Swap RMA Process, a Device Level Technical Support dedicated to resellers partners only, and Next Business Day on-site replacement (in select locations.)

Netsocket

Program: Netsocket Virtual Partner Program

Channel Program Manager: Dave Corley

Title: Director, Channel Marketing

Location: Plano, Texas

URL: http://www.netsocket.com/how-sell

Netsocket aims to make it easy for partners to sell, install, manage and maintain Netsocket's Virtual Edge, a cost-effective, scalable, flexible solution for enterprise and SMB LAN/WAN edge environments. Netsocket does not require certification, and it offers complete program support including training, software/service support, trial programs, lead generation and sharing, and brandable solutions marketing materials.

Network Critical

Program: Premier Partners

Channel Program Manager: John Gill

Title: Vice President, Sales and Marketing

Location: Buffalo, N.Y

URL: http://www.networkcritical.com/partners

The Network Critical Premier Partners Program offers competitive discounts, lead sharing, deal registration, back-end MDF funds, technical support, POS-sale warranty revenue opportunities, pre-sales engineering and design support and much more. The company focuses on helping channel partners increase their revenue per sale and also provide opportunities for ongoing post-sale service revenue.

PGI

Program: PGI Partners

Channel Program Manager: Ralph Hawkins

Title: Senior Vice President/General Manager of the PGi Partners Channel

Location: Atlanta, Ga.

URL: http://www.pgi.com

PGi's Reseller Program is designed to create top-notch solutions that can be privately labeled so partners can enhance their product offerings.

PlanetOne Communication

Program: PlanetOne Communications

Channel Program Manager: Jonathan Hartman

Title: Vice President of Sales

Location: Scottsdale, Ariz.

http://www.planetone.net

PlanetOne's mission is to provide the best service, support and resources to help sales partners grow their business. A team of telecom professionals is dedicated to being responsive, knowledgeable, creative and committed to partner' success. With more than 185 global providers in its portfolio, the company's goal is to help partners close business and make money.

Relay2

Program: Relay2 Partner Program

Channel Program Manager: Jay Ryu

Title: Marketing Director

Location: Milpitas, Calif

URL: http://www.relay2.com/relay2-partners.html

The Relay2 Cloud WLAN System provides new revenue opportunities for partners by giving them a solution that enables them to easily deploy, expand and control enterprise-class distributed wireless LANs in large campus environments or in geographically dispersed locations around the world. The Relay2 Partner Program gives these VARs and solution providers the training and resources they need to sell, deploy and manage the Cloud-controlled WLAN. The Relay2 Partner Program includes discount promotions, qualified leads, referral programs, tiered discounts, and training. To increase partner profitability, the program provides partner incentive programs, value-based pricing for partner services, a residual revenue program, and demo units.

RingCentral

Program: RingCentral Partner Program

Channel Program Manager: Bonnie Lam

Title: Sr. Director, Channel, Franchise Sale

Location: San Mateo, Calif.

URL: http://ringcentral.com/partner

RingCentral is the #1 provider of cloud business phone systems designed for today's mobile and distributed workforce. By combining a hosted, multi-extension business phone system with advanced voice and fax functionality, RingCentral delivers ease of use, flexibility and mobility, which cannot be provided by complex and expensive on-premise legacy phone systems. Headquartered in San Mateo, California, RingCentral is privately held with backing from Sequoia Capital, Khosla Ventures, Cisco, Scale Ventures, and DAG Ventures.

Riverbed Technology

Program: Riverbed Partner Network

Channel Program Manager: Michele Hayes

Title: Vice President, Global Partner Programs and Operations

Location: San Francisco, Calif.

URL: http://www.riverbed.com/partners/become-partner/resellers-distributors/

Enhancements to Riverbed's partner program include increased benefits for partners who invest in certifications and training; improved sales opportunity workflow and policies; and a "Deal Desk" to drive best practice sales engagements globally. Riverbed has moved from a traditional revenue-attainment pyramid model to a competency model. This allows the company to align its investments and resources to partners who either have a specific solution focus or can go wide and deep with Riverbed solutions.

Rogers

Program: Rogers Partner Program for Value Added Resellers

Channel Program Manager: Andrea Bilobrk

Title: Manager, Channel Program

Location: Toronto, Ontario

URL: http://www.rogerspartnerportal.com

The Rogers Partner Program is designed to help partners build success and differentiate their business. The company aims to help boost partners' margins and grow their business by helping them expand beyond traditional IT infrastructure solutions and services into the high-growth mobility market.

Ruckus Wireless

Program: Ruckus BIG DOG Partner Program

Channel Program Manager: Kelly Liu

Title: Senior Manager, Channel Marketing and Lead Generation

Location: Sunnyvale, Calif.

URL: https://partners.ruckuswireless.com/

Ruckus works with partners to ensure products are readily available and that customers have a choice of resources to help them understand, specify, acquire, deploy and operate Ruckus Smart Wi-Fi and associated applications. For channel partners, Ruckus offers targeted programs that provide them with the relevant tools, information and support so that they can successfully grow their business by helping their customers be successful with Ruckus Smart Wi-Fi. The Ruckus BIG DOG Partner Program is designed with a singular objective--to help partners make money by not just obtaining, but more importantly, retaining happy customers with an award-winning product group that sets them apart from the crowd.

SANGFOR Technologies (U.S.)

Program: SANGFOR Partner Program

Channel Program Manager: Rex Murphy

Title: Channel Program Manager

Location: Santa Clara, Calif.

URL: http://www.sangfor.net/partner/partner-program

The Sangfor Partner Program is designed to help business partners sell more and earn more. Its primary objective is to link partners with the resources they need to develop their business, increase customer satisfaction and maximize profits. The Sangfo Partner Program has three membership levels— Authorized partner, Gold partner and Distributor—with individualized program elements and benefits.

ShoreTel

Program: ShoreTel's Authorized Partner Program

Location: Sunnyvale, Calif.

URL: http://www.shoretel.com

ShoreTel's Authorized Partner Program is designed for value-added resellers and systems integrators who want to provide world-class cloud based phone systems and unified communications services to their customers. Authorized Partners work closely with the ShoreTel sales team to sell services directly to clients. Authorized partners are paid a percentage of recurring revenue based on an annual revenue commitment.

Siemens

Program: Siemens Partner Program

Location: Washington, D.C.

Siemens Corp. is a U.S. subsidiary of Siemens AG, a global powerhouse in electronics and electrical engineering, operating in the industry, energy, health care, and infrastructure and cities sectors. For more than 165 years, Siemens has built a reputation for leading-edge innovation and the quality of its products, services and solutions.

Silver Peak

Program: Silver Peak's Champions Channel Partner Program

Channel Program Manager: Eric Morin

Title: Manager, North American Channel Sales

Location: Santa Clara, Calif.

URL: https://partner.silver-peak.com/

Silver Peak's Champions Channel Partner Program ensures that global partners are fully equipped with valuable sales, marketing and training tools to capitalize on new market opportunities and quickly grow their WAN optimization business worldwide. The program provides partners with excellent growth and margin prospects, giving them the most flexible options for growing their business. Silver Peak invests a significant amount of time and resources to ensure the success of their partners. As part of the program, they offer Technical Training and Silver Peak Certified Technical Partner Certification at no additional cost.

SimpleSignal

Program: Sherpa to the Cloud

Channel Program Manager: Michael Sterl

Title: EVP

Location: Dana Point, Calif.

URL: http://www.simplesignal.com/partners.php

SimpleSignal's Partner Program was designed for partner success. The company commits to the most generous compensation plan, professional technical and sales support, training and much more. There are no financial commitments or quotas required.

Sonic.net

Program: Sonic.net Agency Program

Channel Program Manager: Mike Kovatch

Title: Agency Channel Manager

Location: Santa Rosa, Calif.

URL: http://sonic.net/agencyprogram

The Sonic.net agency program provides competitive commission rates, spiffs and quarterly sales contests in return for agent partners selling Sonic.net Internet and voice services. Other features of the agency program are that all accounts sold by agents are "evergreened," meaning the agent will receive a commission payout for as long as the customer pays Sonic the monthly service fee regardless of whether in a term contract or not. The program also includes monthly commission payouts, fast response for price quotations, sales support to help close an opportunity and competitively priced Internet and voice solutions.

Sonus Networks

Program: Sonus Partner Assure

Channel Program Manager: April Miller

Title: Channel Programs & Development

Location: Westford, Mass.

URL: http://www.sonus.net/company/our-partners

Sonus Partner Assure is designed to enable partners to deliver today's leading SBC and SIP solutions to enterprises and service providers and to ensure quality of experience for end users. The partner program brings a streamlined engagement structure together with a straightforward pricing framework and easy-to-access training and tools as the foundation of channel alliances. Sonus offers discounts and practical training programs along with powerful lead pipeline development.

Sprint

Program: Sprint Partner Program

Location: Overland Park, Kan.

Sprint brings mobility to consumers, businesses and government users with a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services.

Star2Star Communications

Program: The Star2Star Channel Partner Program

Channel Program Manager: Colin Johnston

Title: Executive Vice President of Sales

Location: Sarasota, Fla.

URL: http://www.star2star.com/partner-program

Star2Star only sells through third-party distribution and makes sure partners have the training, resources and knowledge they need. Star2Star also maintains a network of qualified StarSystem installers in North America for partners who prefer to focus only on selling. The Star2Star Communications Partner Program includes a familiar model that facilitates short-term cash flow; high-value, evergreen monthly residual income; high levels of customer trust from the most reliable platform; billing support, marketing, co-op training, and certification; expanded product and solution portfolios without costly capital expenditures; improved customer retention rates and increased profit margins.

Talari Networks

Program: Talari Partner Program

Channel Program Manager: Chris Archibald

Title: Sr. Director, Channel Management

Location: San Jose, Calif.

URL: http://www.talari.com/partners/talari-partner-program.php

The Talari Partner Program includes a strong network of channel partners and resellers throughout the world to help customers get the most reliable WANs. Talari's channel partners are experts in networking, often with special expertise within a particular technology or vertical industry, who have in depth understanding of Talari's family of APN WAN appliances. Talari partners work with enterprises to consult on how to improve WAN reliability and quality through the use of Talari appliances, integrate Talari appliances into a WAN network, and support the deployment and ongoing use of Talari solutions.

Telarus

Program: Telarus

Channel Program Manager: Robert Butler

Title: VP of Sales

Location: Sandy, Utah

URL: http://www.telarus.com/partner-programs.htm

Telarus provides what a VAR/MSP/integrator needs to get into the carrier business: price quotes, provisioning tracking, and residual commissions. It also offers real-time quoting for transactional services, marketing assistance—including website design, booth design, etc.—and four-layer dedicated personal support. ETelarus ensures that partners always know where fiber Ethernet is located, they know which carriers are the best options for any deal, and they know which ones will pay them the most.

Tellabs

Program: PartnerPlus Program

Channel Program Manager : Matt Hassett

Title: Sr. Marketing & Channel Manager

Location: Naperville, Ill.

http://www.tellabs.com

The Tellabs Sales Partner program, PartnerPlus, promotes strong relationships that deliver even stronger business results. Tellabs partners can tailor the program to their needs, with the flexibility to choose which products and services they want to resell and what services they want to deliver. Tellabs' philosophy is to cultivate deep relationships with a select group of sales partner and it reinforces partner relationships with customized joint sales, marketing and support programs.

Time Warner Cable Business Class

Program: Time Warner Cable Business Class Partner Program

Channel Program Manager: Greg Iuzzolino

Title: Sr. Director, Channel Sales

Location: New York, N.Y.

URL: http://business.timewarnercable.com

The TWCBC Partner Program was the first in the cable industry to build strategic relationships with the industry's top solution providers. It enables partners to work strategically with one of the nation's leading communications providers. Designed to provide attractive compensation and to deliver great value and choice for partners, the Partner Program offers participants a broad-based core package of program benefits. These include online deal registration, pre-post-sale support, dedicated channel support, online training, commission portal, knowledge-based articles, TWCBC logo usage and extensive marketing materials.

T-Mobile

Program: T-Mobile Authorized Retailer Program

Location: Bellevue, Wash.

URL: http://www.channelpartnersonline.com

The wireless industry is an incredibly exciting place to operate a business and T-Mobile is committed to the success of our Authorized Retailers and Resellers.

Tone Software Corporation

Program: ReliaTel Solution Partner Program

Channel Program Manager: James Paul Wiggins

Title: Program Manager

Location: Anaheim, Calif.

URL: http://www.tonesoft.com

The ReliaTel Solution Partner program provides business development resources and co-marketing services to MSPs, VARs, and Integrators utilizing Tone's ReliaTel Convergence Management technologies as a service delivery platform. ReliaTel provides unified, vendor-independent monitoring and management of clients' diverse voice and data networks managed by the MSP services. Using ReliaTel, MSPs can unify management of all client VoIP, UC and IT environments through a single, vendor-agnostic management solution; perform complete fault, performance, QoS, and capacity management, as well as remediation and automation for all client environments; and deliver comprehensive service level reporting to document compliance and service value.

Truphone

Program: Truphone Partner Program

Channel Program Manager: Brandon Adams

Title: Channel Marketing Executive

Location: Durham, N.C.

URL: http://www.truphonepartners.com

Truphone has two tiers in its partner program: Truphone Premier Partners: Premier Partners often find that including Truphone in their portfolio helps differentiate them from competition. In addition, they can earn healthy compensation. Truphone Referral Partners: Referral Partners have business relationships with international companies that would see value in Truphone proposition; these partners are not required to be in the wireless business today. Registered referral partners can earn a cash reward for every successful new activation on Truphone's global mobile network.

Verizon

Program: Verizon Partner Program

Channel Program Manager: Lori Bonenfant

Title: Director Channel Marketing

Location: Basking Ridge, N.J.

URL: http://www.verizon.com/partnerprogram

The Verizon Partner Program empowers partners with advance communications, networks, mobility and M2M solutions, along with IT, applications and cloud. The Verizon Partner Program features a tiered structure, across multiple business models, to reward partners for outstanding performance. The Verizon Partner Relationship Management portal offers easy access to register, apply, and contract online. Additional highlights of include partner incentives, marketing tools, and a training and certification curriculum.

Voxox

Program: Voxox Channel Partner Program

Channel Program Manager: Tad Nikolich

Title: VP Business Sales

Location: San Diego

URL: http://www.voxox.com/channel-partners

The Voxox business model is unique in that the company's proprietary technology enables it to bypass expensive licensing fees that competitors have to pay. Subsequently, Voxox is able to offer partners some of the most competitive rates and incentives in the industry. The program includes: comprehensive IP telephony portfolio where an agent can find a solution for practically any type of customer seeking a VoIP business phone system and related services; robust back-end infrastructure and CLEC operations to ensure quality and reliability; and ultra-competitive commissions. Voxox provides partners a dedicated Channel Manager, award-winning support team, and a robust instant-quote and contract creation tool.

West IP Communications

Program: ChannelPoint

Channel Program Manager: Chuck Piazza

Title: Senior Vice President, Sales, West IP Communications

Location: Louisville, Ill.

URL: http://westipc.com/partners/

West partners can gain pre-sale support, such as customized proposal creation and solution design; monitor customer order activity from design to deployment through online tracking; access sales and marketing tools through an online portal; receive competitive, timely and accurate commission payouts with a variety of options and increasing tier levels; participate in ongoing educational opportunities such as training, webinars, and conferences to increase knowledge of West's services and competitive edge as well as how incorporating West IPC into a business model can help drive profitability. Partners can deliver 24/7 support and proactive management of client's services via West IPC Network Operations Center staffed by Cisco-certified engineers. The company will be hands on with partners during the sales process, providing all the resources they might need.

Windstream Communications

Program: Windstream Partner Program

Channel Program Manager: Crystal Farley and Anne Brogan

Title: National Channel Manager

Location: Little Rock, Ark.

URL: http://dealer.windstream.com/signup/

Windstream's channel partner program helps bring solutions to more businesses. Literally hundreds of channel partners across the country have chosen to market the company's products and services. Windstream offers certification training to channel partners to sell co-location, dedicated servers, Disaster Recovery as a Service, and unified email management.

Wolfe

Program: Wolfe Strategic and Technology Partnership Program

Channel Program Manager: Mike Alexander

Title: Channel Manager

Location: Seattle

Wolfe's Partner Program is designed to reward strategic and technology partners for utilizing Wolfe's Advanced Fiber-Ethernet Broadband Services. This program allows partners to offer joint solutions to their midsize and enterprise-level clients whose applications demand enterprise-grade carrier solutions dependent upon high-bandwidth network applications. The Wolfe Channel Partner Team works with partners to determine and implement the best network solution at the best pricing points for their prospects and clients. This allows partners to keep clients budgetary cost low, increase productivity and win more sales.

WTG

Program: WTG's VAR Connectivity Program

Channel Program Manager: Susan Penevolpe

Title: VP of Sales

Location: Malibu, Calif.

URL: http://www.wtgcom.com

WTG's VAR Connectivity Program helps partners build a residual business for voice and data connectivity needs of their clients. As a WTG VAR Partner, there are several options for the type of plan that best fits a particular business model. This program can be tailored to fit a partner's immediate needs and altered to support long-term goals. Compensation delivery methods to the VAR partner vary based on the level of involvement that is possible for each VAR. For levels other than Level one, the VAR will be teamed with a Teaming Agent that will assist with the process.

X4 Solutions

Program: VAR & IT Channel Partner Program

Channel Program Manager: Todd Peterson

Title: Senior Vice President

Location: Mokena, Ill.

URL: http://X4solutions.com

One simple agreement with X4 provides instant access to more than 70 cloud, carrier service and collocation providers. X4 represents just about everyone from CenturyLink, Windstream, XO and EarthLink to Evolve IP, Cbeyond, FirstComm, Comcast, Time Warner, and everyone in between. There are no minimum requirements, no exclusivity, incredible contract protections with providers and the majority of monthly residual commission is passed on to partners.

XO Communications

Program: XO Business Partner Channel

Channel Program Manager: Alethea Peyrin

Title: Channel Program and Operations

Location: Herndon, Va.

URL: http://www.xo.com/partner-programs/

XO offers programs for both business referrals and Business Partners of XO. XO Business Partners receive robust sales, marketing, technical, customer service and training benefits to empower their success.