ARC 2013: Top 10 Channel Program Scores
Vendor Partner Programs
Let's face it, IT vendors need solution providers to be successful just as solution providers need IT vendors to be successful. And those vendors' solution provider programs are where the two meet, so relationships can succeed or fail based on how well those programs work.
Channel partners surveyed for CRN's 2013 Annual Report Card rated vendors' solution provider programs as part of the broader partnership criteria. Here are the 10 highest scores.
10. EMC: Enterprise Network Storage
CEO: Joe Tucci
EMC scored 77.4 in the solution provider program criterion for this specific product category, beating out rivals NetApp, Dell and others. Partners had given EMC a 79.2 score in this product category in 2012, something sure to capture EMC executives' attention.
Perhaps that's why at EMC World in May channel executives unveiled plans to overhaul the company's Velocity channel program, creating the EMC Business Partner initiative that better incorporates the vendor's cloud, big data and mobility efforts.
9. Sophos: Network Security Appliances
CEO: Kris Hagerman
Sophos scored 77.7 in the solution provider program criterion, beating out competitors Fortinet and Trend Micro, among others. Sophos' 2013 score was up from 72.3 last year for its solution provider program.
In February Sophos hired former Fortinet executive Michael Valentine to oversee its global sales and channel organization. The company also developed a program for managed security service providers.
8. Cisco: Converged Infrastructure Systems
CEO: John Chambers
Cisco scored 78.0 in the solution provider program criterion in this product category, beating out competitors Hewlett-Packard, Dell and IBM.
Cisco has aggressively pursued the converged infrastructure system market, especially with its participation in VCE. At the Cisco Partner Summit in June the company revealed expanded partner opportunities with VCE.
In September the company detailed plans to extend its SMB push with redesigned partner specialization and training programs.
7. EMC: Networking Storage (SMB)
CEO: Joe Tucci
EMC scored 78.6 in the solution provider program criterion for this product category, beating out competitors Dell, D-Link Systems and Hewlett-Packard. Last year EMC scored 80.8 for its solution provider program.
Earlier this year EMC executives said the company had reached a milestone in that the channel accounted for more than 50 percent of its sales.
6. EMC: Backup & Recovery Software
CEO: Joe Tucci
Yes, EMC had the top scores for solution provider programs in three product categories this year. Here EMC scored 79.8 in the solution provider program criterion, beating out competitors Symantec and IBM. In 2012 EMC scored 81.2 for its solution provider program.
Earlier this year EMC executives said the vendor's unified backup and recovery business had a total addressable market of $27 billion and a CAGR of between 3 percent and 6 percent.
5. Ruckus Wireless: Networking Hardware (SMB)
CEO: Selina Lo
Ruckus Wireless scored 80.3 in the solution provider program criterion in this product category, beating out competitors Cisco, Adtran and others. Last year Ruckus scored 71.6 for its solution provider program.
Ruckus' channel program has continued to grow at an exponential rate, and the company now has more than 6,000 reseller partners worldwide.
4. Trend Micro: Network Security Software
CEO: Eva Chen
Trend Micro scored 80.9 in the solution provider program criterion in this product category, beating out rivals RSA and Dell/SonicWall. (Not, however, Kaspersky Lab, the winner of this product category.) Last year Trend Micro scored 69.6 for its solution provider program.
Earlier this year Trend Micro partnered with distributor Tech Data to simplify account management by integrating Trend Micro's Licensing Management Platform with Tech Data's Solutions Store.
3. Lenovo: Notebooks
CEO: Yang Yuanqing
Lenovo scored 81.7 in the solution provider program criterion in this product category, beating out rivals Hewlett-Packard, Samsung, Dell and Panasonic.
In an example of Lenovo's channel efforts, in August the company began offering channel partners a "Combat Kit" -- or a multiunit demo system that partners use to help customers decide which Lenovo device would best work for them.
2. Buffalo Technology: Networking Storage (SMB)
CEO: Hajime Nakai
Buffalo Technology scored 81.9 in the solution provider program criterion in this product category, beating out competitors EMC, Dell, D-Link Systems and Hewlett-Packard. Last year Buffalo Technology scored 76.0 for its solution provider program.
In July Buffalo Technology began shipping its new TeraStation 3000 Series of network attached and iSCSI unified storage devices for SMBs.
1. Kaspersky Lab: Network Security Software
CEO: Eugene Kaspersky
Kaspersky Lab scored 84.6 for its solution provider program in this product category, the highest score for this criterion in this year's ARC. With that score Kaspersky surpassed rivals Trend Micro, RSA and Dell SonicWall. This year's score also marks a fairly significant improvement for Kaspersky, which scored 76.0 in 2012.
Kaspersky is making big market gains with the help of its channel partners. In June Chris Doggett, senior vice president of corporate sales in North America, told CRN the company has undertaken a proactive partner recruiting effort in the channel this year while at the same time promoting its MSO program.