SonicWall Taps New Head of Channel Marketing

Crilley leaves a little more than two years after SonicWall changed its focus from direct sales to a more channel-focused approach in the enterprise. Just a few months ago, Crilley told VARBusiness about his goal of keeping his finger on the pulse of partner satisfaction.

"My compensation is dependent on it," he said at the time. His goals included making SonicWall's partner program even more enticing by rewarding partners who help the company meet its strategic goals. Recently, the company began to usher in a program that will reward partners who excel in recurring revenues and selling services.

Crilley also said increasing subscription sales was a top priority for the company and its solution providers. To achieve that, SonicWall plans to provide incentives on top of already-existing incentives. In addition, the company's solution providers have taken on the responsibility of communicating with customers about renewals, urging them to "go back to your favorite resellers" in a relatively new program started in 2004. Under this program, gold and silver partners can qualify for additional funds, even if customers buy products directly from SonicWall during an ongoing solicitation.

SonicWall has not yet released a formal biography for Koepsel, who was a sales and marketing consultant for Insider Marketing, as well as vice president of corporate marketing for cable modem equipment maker Com21.