Tucci: EMC Will Retain Direct-Sales Force But Work With Channel

EMC

"As long as I am head of this company, we will have a large direct-sales force," Tucci said. "The new news is the vigor in which we are pursuing our channel strategy."

The breadth of market coverage that only channel partners can reach is key, Tucci said.

"There are a lot of companies out there,that is why the channel is so important to us," he said.

Tucci also said that EMC's partnership with Dell Computer is important to the company's strategy.

"But there is a wide array of partners besides Dell, and we are very aggressively attracting more partners," he said.

Analysts at the event were hoping to hear ways in which EMC is cutting costs and improving efficiencies. To that end, Dave Donatelli, executive vice president of storage platforms operations, said EMC has reduced its inventory by 42 percent in the third quarter and improved inventory turns to 6.3 from 5.4.

The company has also reduced test times to 14 days from 28 days while improving quality, Donatelli said.