Kaseya Retools Channel Program For A 'New Partner Community'

Kaseya rolled out an enhanced partner program and has new channel executives on board to lead the charge, the company said Thursday.

The cloud-based IT management software company is providing new tools and resources to solution providers and has brought on seasoned channel executives Roger Hodskins as head of global channels and alliances and Andrew Robinson as head of the EMEA channel for the company. The two executives combined bring more than 50 years of channel experience in sales and partnerships to the table.

"Partners are important to Kaseya as they never have been before, and we really are going to be investing in them in the future," Hodskins said.

[Related: SAP Creates New Channel Organization, Names New Channel Chief ]

Boston-based Kaseya's new partner program features a traditional tiered reward and incentive model for resellers. In addition to the tiered program, Kaseya is adding new partner categories, including integration partner, certified education partner and certified implementation partners.

For the first time, programs are available to partners worldwide, Hodskins said, in what he called a "new partner community." The move is in response to a "real hunger" on the part of Kaseya and its partners to provide additional support, according to Hodskins. The new channel positions unite the global partner community under a single leadership point, with a team that has been assembled to work with worldwide partners.

The channel shift is backed up by investments in training, marketing, sales support and more to make sure that solution providers are successful, Hodskins said. Kaseya also has built its first cloud partner portal, which collects all the training, sales, pricing and communication with Kaseya partners. Approximately 180 of Kaseya's 300 partners are already using the portal, Hodskins said, and are entering their leads and deals.

"I think the key point is the major investment in our partners going forward to match up with our vision. For us to grow the company, for us to provide all the value-added services and for us to integrate and work well with all the other capabilities important to our customers, we need a really vibrant partner," Hodskins said. "This is the first step."

Hodskins said that partners he talked to were very excited about the growth, and Kaseya is looking to help current partners step up their involvement and attract new customers and partners who perhaps don't see Kasyea as a fit for their business.

"We're not interesting in 10,000 partners, we're interested in having a solid base of partners that engage with us and their customers. We're really much more interested in a value-added channel," Hodskins said.

Adnil Puente, director of sales at Philippines-based NM Network Manager Sales, a Kaseya partner, said that he appreciates the clear-cut structure of partner support.

"In our market, success is 50 percent solution, and 50 percent delivery," Puente said. "Kaseya helped us and has continued to help us get both."

Going forward, Hodskins said to expect further development and evolution of the Kaseya platform as the company works to make it more open to partners.

"I guess my message is, 'Watch this space,' " Hodskins said. "This is step one of things that we're looking to do."

PUBLISHED MAY 8, 2014