New Channel Programs On Tap For HP Storage VARs

Vertrees, speaking at his keynote presentation during HP's ENSA@Work storage solution provider conference, held here this week, said HP solution providers sold or influenced about $1 billion in storage sales in 2002 and accounted for 75 percent of the company's storage sales for the year.

Among new channel initiatives planned for 2003 are a focus on rewarding partners for their competency, not just on their overall revenue, said Vertrees. That means an increased focus on getting partners certified this year, he said.

The year will see HP place one inside sales rep focused on storage solution providers in each of its 11 U.S. territories as part of a "Smile on the Dial" program, Vertrees said. The "dial" in the program name refers to the telephone dial.

Also new is an enhanced enterprise storage agent program paying 3 percent to 7 percent on enterprise storage sales referred to HP, said Vertrees.

Solution providers can also qualify for an extra 8 percent bonus on competitive deal registrations vs. EMC, Dell Computer and Sun Microsystems, he said.

Under HP's PartnerOne program, solution providers are being rewarded with improved margins and bonuses for storage sales, Vertrees said. The company's elite storage partners can now make up to 23.5 percent of sales of enterprise-class products, while all enterprise-authorized partners can make up to 19.5 percent, he said. Both enterprise authorized and commercial authorized partners can make up to 18.5 percent on commercial-class storage sales, he said.

Gary Hazard, vice president of Atrion, a Hillsborough, N.J.-based solution provider, gave credit to the success of HP's storage business to Vertrees, along with Tom Tiernan, vice president of network storage solutions in the Americas, and Mark Gonzalez, vice president of business development for network storage solutions in the Americas.

"They have done a truly tremendous job with storage programs, especially with incentives to sell storage," Hazard said.