Behind The Scenes: Here’s A Look At The Home Offices Of 42 Channel Execs

Executives from such firms as Microsoft, Lexmark, HP Inc., VMware and Zscaler weigh in on their most and least favorite aspects of remote work.

With the novel coronavirus raging across nearly every corner of the world, more people are working from home these days than at any time in modern history. Of course, remote work comes with plenty of pros -- close access to the refrigerator, for instance -- and a boatload of cons, which can include a lack of face-time with colleagues and clients alike.

So CRN decided to ask channel executives what the best and worst parts of remote work are. Click through on our slideshow to see what executives from such firms as Cisco, Dell, Microsoft, Lexmark, HP Inc., VMware, Zscaler and more have to say about their most and least favorite aspects of remote work.

Angus Robertson, Chief Revenue Officer, Axcient

Pros: More time with family

Cons: More time with family

Andrew Gregoire, CEO and Managing Partner at ACE Technology Advisors, based in Fall River, Mass.

Pros: The best part about working from home is I can watch the horses hang out outside at the farm across the street!

Cons: People don't realize how much meeting face-to-face personalizes the relationship, so not being able to do that is hard. I also feel like I work a lot more when I'm home because I'm always logged on.

Dan Sibille, vice president of worldwide channels, AttackIQ

Pros: I’m very efficient and can meet with more partners daily; Provides schedule flexibility in a comfortable environment; Laptop video capabilities and quality make it easy

Cons: I enjoy the “face to face” partner meetings and interactions; Don’t feel as impactful in some meetings joining remotely; Miss the travel and adventures that it always provides.

BJ Jenkins, President and CEO, Barracuda Networks

Pros: I’m amazed at how the entire Barracuda team has remained resilient and positive through this time and put the focus on our customers and partners to provide help during this complicated process. Not having to travel so much and be on an airplane is an added bonus, and let’s not forget the commute!

Cons: There are a couple of things, the first is not being able to physically be in the office and interact and collaborate with our team. Next, with two children home college, I’m grateful to be able to spend more time with them, but it can be challenging to create boundaries between family and work.

Ezra Hookano, Vice President of Channels, Barracuda Networks

Pros: The best thing about working from home is that the amount of stuff that can be done via video conferencing now is amazing. The quality of video for apps like Zoom and Microsoft Teams is solid, and the rapid way that the entire industry adapted to this in one to two days was impressive.

Cons: The worst part of all of this is the sense of anxiety I have for all the folks whose jobs are not able to be done remotely, and the folks impacted because they do not have the luxury of working from home. It fills me with thankfulness for my own situation but also demands that I recognize my responsibility to contribute to as much of the economy as possible.

Frank Rauch, Head of Worldwide Channel Sales, Check Point Software Technologies

Pros: Not getting on planes and dealing with airports. Being more focused and productive. Hearing the hundreds of epic stories of our channel and my team pulling together to help our mutual customers. Meeting my Partners families unexpectedly over Zoom.

Cons: Not being able to interact face to face with my team and my partners.

Oliver Tuszik, SVP, Global Partner Organizations, Cisco

Pros: The continual flow of great espresso and cappuccinos. And, of course, spending more time with my family! Juggling, as you can see in my photos is one of the fun ways I take a break in between meetings and it helps me unwind from the day.

Cons: I'm very dependent on live interactions with people, so not being able to meet with partners and my teams face-to-face has been challenging and different for me. That being said, Cisco’s technology is really helping to bridge this. I think the new ways we're communicating will become more mainstream even when we go back to our normal working activities.

Craig Schlagbaum, Senior Vice President, Indirect Channels, Comcast

Pros: I get an awful lot done and 12 hours go by without me even noticing. I am not interrupted all day like I am in my office at work, and I use Teams more than ever in my history which is a great tool for this climate.

Cons: I feel like I am in a jail cell, and if I come out to take a break, my Cat Bunker then invades and starts swatting all the office items off my desk to show me he cares about me 😊

Mercer Rowe, Vice President, Global Channels and Alliances, Commvault

I’m fortunate enough to have a quiet office to work in at my house. My main challenges have been 1) adjusting my schedule so that I don’t sit in front of zoom 12 hours a day (which happened a few days last week), and 2) engaging effectively with partners and my Commvault colleagues. I’m used to working from home, as I’ve done it for most of my career off-and-on, but it’s always been mixed with travel and face-to-face time. It’s been different being in a dedicated work-from-home situation, where I need to adapt every aspect of my job to fit this model. So far, I’ve found blocking time for physical activity (and eating) are really important. We’re also coming up with innovative ways to stay connected across the globe and ensure no one feels stranded during this period. Partners have been great in terms of quickly restructuring meetings to be Zoom based — although we had one experience with a re-purposed all-day QBR for seven hours by Zoom (not going to try that again…).

John Schwan, Head of Global Partner Sales and Programs, Metallic, a Commvault venture

The new normal. The best and worst thing working from home is I have not be able to socially distance myself as much as I should from my fridge.

Best - we are more accessible; not burning hours in the air allows for more consistent honoring of scheduled 1:1 and team meetings, allowing for outcomes to be driven faster. The family time in the Q zone - I have two daughters, one is a freshman in college and the other is a senior in high school. Both are now home, and they get to overhear the video calls or can sense my mood after a long string of meetings. They ask wonderful questions, and I am able to share my thoughts and guidance - I feel like I am homeschooling the next channel leaders! Fun themes - my picture reflects our March Madness theme, where everyone was asked to wear their college basketball team attire We will do the same for baseball and concert t-shirts. This helps us get to know each other even more.

Worst - Zoom, Teams, and WebEx are great, but partnerships and coaching are contact sports. Although we can connect virtually, I miss connectiveness that in person meetings bring. There is unique energy to non-verbal communication in person; our team members and partners feed me with energy when we meet in person, and I will never take that for granted again. Lastly I miss high fives - we may have to wait a while to bring those back, but there are so many people doing great things that deserve a high five right now.

Rob Rae, senior vice president, business development, Datto

My career is centered around cultivating and retaining relationships, which is why I love what I do, but it also requires a lot of time on the road and in the office to ensure I meet partner and customer needs. As I continue my role from home, I’ve reinvented the time I typically spend in the car or on a plane to reflect on my week, consider my personal goals and address how to best support my partners’ challenges. Perhaps best of all, I can really set aside time to check-in on family and friends, whether it’s a quick video chat over coffee in the morning or an email to an old contact to see how they’re doing. While this new way of life and work has opened new opportunities, I do miss the in-person, face-to-face time I usually spend with people. Although video conferencing bridges this gap, it will never replace the time, effort and value of building relationships in-person, which I hope to get back to soon.

Joyce Mullen, President, Global Channel, Embedded, Edge Solutions, Dell Technologies

The best thing about working from home is that our whole family is here. The worst thing is that we have five simultaneous Zoom calls happening at all times. Plus, I really miss seeing our teams, partners and customers.

Todd Debell, Director of North American Channel Sales, ExtraHop

Pros: My home office is my regular office, so I’m well acquainted with the easy WFH commute, casual dress code, and the supply of sugar-free Red Bull and Diet Coke all day long! I joined the ExtraHop team in January and it has been inspiring to see how ExtraHop's team and partners are helping customers stay secure, especially as IT teams are managing the massive influx of remote access as so many companies tackle the new challenge of transitioning workers to work from home.

Cons: I am an extrovert, and being around people gives me energy, so I find ways to connect with people. We use Zoom video to connect with colleagues and partners and I typically travel quite a bit, so if I know I’ll be in one place for a while I try to schedule an in-person lunch or other activity like skiing to keep the cabin fever at bay. Although right now, I’m doing my part and staying home with my family and enjoying connecting virtually with colleagues.

Chris Carter, Vice President of Americas Channels, FireEye

Pros: More time to accomplish goals with minimal disruption.

Cons: I miss the in person interaction and engagement. I like being on the frontline working with my team and partners.

Scott Lannum, vice president and general manager, Americas commercial channel sales, HP Inc.

Pros: I am usually on the road a ton, so being able to spend more quality time with my 16-year-old daughter and my wife is pretty great - and something I’ll never forget. My daughter has a good amount of online classwork to do, and I am in meetings most of the day, but we still manage to find time for regular Tik Tok dance breaks (please don’t ask to see them!).

Cons: The hardest part of working from my home office is missing out on the face-to-face interactions I typically have with our Channel Partners. My favorite part of being Channel Chief is the time I spend meeting with Partners in their offices, in their customer meetings, and at industry events. It will be really great to see them when it’s safe to travel again.

Paul Hunter, Worldwide Head, Partner Sales, Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Pros: I’m having new conversations with partners in places I wouldn’t ordinarily get to. For example, just a few days ago, I spoke to a partner in Bulgaria. Without easily accessible office candy, I am snacking less. I am getting to have dinner with my kids. Thanks to video conferencing services, we are seeing each other in a more personal environment, often with much hilarity.

Cons: The neighbor’s dog invariably starts barking at the moment I least want him to. It starts to feel monotonous with a similar routine each day. I am bored of soup for lunch! Having to cancel events that have been in planning for several months.

Brad Tompkins, Chief Sales Officer, IGEL

Pros: I have worked from home (mostly) since 1999 so I’m well versed in home office set up, managing family & coworker interactions, etc. Personally, I prefer to work from home with periodic visits to the corporate office for face-to-face interactions. The best things about working from home: No commute. Seeing my family on breaks. Having greater control over interruptions. Flexible working hours.The freedom to bang on my drum kit after challenging calls.

Cons: Inconsistent network connections present communication challenges. It’s easy to overwork and not leave the office. Young children sometimes forget that you are working. There’s too much food nearby!

Koorosh Khashayar, VP, Global Channels, iland

Pro: Getting a ton of data cleaned up in Salesforce.

Con: Not being able to meet with partners face to face.

Rob Cato, vice president of North America channels in Lenovo’s Intelligent Devices Group

Pros: Less time commuting and more time with family…plus I get to connect in a new way with most of my team who are remote workers already

Cons: Missing a shower and shave, and trying to minimize distractions from teenage boys, pets and having to do the laundry.

Darren Gottesmann, U.S. Director of SMB Sales, Ingram Micro

Pros: Working from the home office brings a change of pace and challenges us to think differently about how we engage with our peers and partners.

Cons: The one thing I wasn’t expecting in all of this was to also become a part-time gym and math teacher to some very difficult students -- I may have to call their parents if they don’t shape up quickly!

Jennifer Anaya, Senior Vice President, Global Marketing, Ingram Micro

Pros: The best part of working from home right now is the regular outdoor walks as a family, which of course include our dog Duke. I am also enjoying preparing home cooked meals and seeing my dry cleaning bills go way down.

Cons: The hardest part has been running my ‘pop-up office’ in the middle of our game room and navigating around the Fortnite tournaments our teens are playing in.

Eric Kohl, U.S. Vice President of Security and Data Center Software, Ingram Micro

Pros: The best things about working from home and being on video conferences all day is that I am not shaving until I can go back in the office – and hopefully when I do, people will say I look much younger in person. I’m also saving time by only ironing the front of my shirt. On a serious note, I’ve really enjoyed seeing the creativity and camaraderie as our associates adapt to working from home, many for the first time, and the technology we already in play, especially Microsoft Teams, has been awesome.

Cons: The worst thing about working from home has to be my son constantly knocking on my office door to complain about the Wi-Fi speed (or lack thereof) and the impact to his Fortnite sessions.”

Sammy Kinlaw, Vice President, WW Channel Sales and OEM, Lexmark

Pros: Efficiency and how quickly you can start work. Not worrying about a commute or an airport has major perks!

Cons: What I like least is being away from the face to face action with my employees and customers. I miss the energy and relations.

Mike LaPeters, Vice President, Worldwide MSP and Channel Operations, Malwarebytes

Pros: Being able to place more focus on specific tasks. For example, I have been able to complete several projects much more quickly from home than if I would have been able to in an office environment and its distractions.

Cons: It is much more challenging to separate work life and home life. The work schedule typically starts when you wake up and ends when you go to sleep.

Ken McCray, Head of Americas Channel Sales, Operations, McAfee

Pros: The Kitchen is always open…our smoke detectors are working fine. Technology innovations has everyone connected and being productive and leading to new experimentation on how to reach customers/partners/coworkers (i.e. social media, facetime, etc.). The commute is wonderful; no gas, no tolls and 2 more hrs. of Video conferencing. Able to stay in your PJs or workout clothes all day, is a good thing or bad thing. Not having to share network/internet bandwidth with several 100+ people. The restroom is available and clean.

Cons: You can't go home at the end of the day. Personal interaction with our partners, colleagues and customers. Distractions; Noise! delivery trucks, dogs barking, cows mooing, donkeys or horses neighing. Time management is harder at home! - be the husband, father, house keeper, cook, school teacher, the "help me find this or that person.” No down time in the car or garage, my family knows my secret. My nice home office chair is not ergonomically comfortable for the long work days. No water cooler gossip with peers. Cabin Fever is REAL. I still suck at 8th Grade math.

Gavriella Schuster, Corporate Vice President, One Commercial Partner, Microsoft

Pros: No traffic. I can get my laundry done in the middle of the day. Better food. I can listen to music when I am not on the phone

Cons: I don’t have a stand-up desk. I start earlier and end later. I forget to take breaks. Love Teams but not a substitute for face to face chatter

Chris Lamborn, Head of Worldwide Partner Go To Market, Programs, NetApp

Pros: Don’t need to commute for 2 hours every day, I have seen my wife more in the last two weeks than all year and my current car restoration is going great!

Cons: Not being able to spend time with the team and partners face to face, the weird silence when you do venture outside and knowing there are so many people who can’t afford to not work.

Netrix CloudHelm Leadership

Michael Cass – Director of Product Enablement

Chris Adams – Director of Cloud Infrastructure

Pros: We WFH a majority of the time, leading up to this… so the best thing is being able to demonstrate and assist others with their new workspace, tools, security, etc..

Cons: When you realize your normal daily routine is called “quarantine”!

Jeff Brown, CEO, Open Systems

Pros: My commute is definitely better. Because we are spread out as a company, we were used to VC already. My office is next to the exercise equipment so I can get some extra work in.

Cons: I realize now how much thinking I do during my commute. Nobody else can use the exercise equipment when I am on a video call. It is too close to the fridge…

Nick Heddy, Chief Revenue Officer, Pax8

Pros: Video meetings with my 1 year old on my lap
Cons: The lack of unplanned meetings as you are walking by someone’s office

Ryan Walsh, Chief Channel Officer, Pax8

Pros: Having my dogs walk right up during a video meeting as if they can’t believe I’m here. And this prompts a goofy video smile and keeps me from taking myself too seriously.

I am also surprisingly excited and challenged to figure out how to make the remote worker thing work in light of my strong preference to be in-person, face to face. Example = my team held a virtual Friday afternoon club at the end of our first week remote. Loved it.

Cons: I am not taking enough breaks. Surprising power of fomo when someone can instantly call, chat, teams, or zoom me.

Jonathan Hartman, Senior Vice President of Sales, PlanetOne

Pros: True mobility! Not missing a beat and staying completely connected in our new virtual age. I also love having the opportunity to go outdoors more often and work while enjoying our beautiful Arizona spring weather!

Cons: Setting boundaries can be challenging when working from home - it is far too easy to work too many hours in this work from home environment.

Miguel Zamarripa, CIO of Colorado Springs, Colo.-based Simpleworks IT

Pros: being near family and friends when I get short breaks throughout the day.

Cons: the absence of my co-workers’ collaboration and synergy that you just don’t get from Zoom/Teams meetings.

Mike Hanauer, Chief Revenue Officer, SKOUT CYBERSECURITY

Pros: Communication has been incredible. With everyone at SKOUT in the same situation globally, we have been erring on the side of overcommunicating which has been extremely helpful at all levels. The disconnect from working in a remote office has been nearly eliminated and ironically it is because everyone is remote

Cons: Definitely knowing when to disconnect. The fact that my office is so close means that I can step away to write a quick email or finish up a presentation at any time. It has been difficult to know when to turn-off and focus on my family. I’ve been reminded of this a few times over the last two weeks from my new “co-workers.”

Mike Cullen, GVP, Partner Success, SolarWinds MSP

Pros: We’re in this new reality and we have to find ways to make it work. That’s one of the things I love about my team. Our Head Nerds are out there pounding the pavement to get help to our partners and our customer success folks are harder at work than ever. I know we’re going to come out of this with a new view of what MSPs really need and how to make sure we’re delivering it to them.

Cons: In my view, there is no best thing about working from home. I’m a big believer in face-to-face collaboration with my team and my partners where possible and this really stretches that capability. Honestly, I have newfound respect for MSPs who deliver remote support as I don’t think I could do that job.

David Weeks, Director of Sales, SolarWinds MSP

Pros: The best thing is being able to commute down my stairs in 30 seconds and be online to support partners and the team as required, as well as being connected constantly from the moment I wake up, until I head to bed. It’s also allowed us to better understand our partners’ contingency plans and the best way to continue to support them now and in the future.

Cons: The worst part is not getting to see the team each day and interact directly with them, or travel to our regional offices. However, we are continuing our engagement through regular online video calls and our Friday virtual happy hours!

Kendra Krause, SVP, global channels and sales operations, Sophos

Pro: Hearing my girls laugh every day and getting to kiss them every day!

Con: That this is all being driven by a devastating virus

Jennifer McCready, Global Channel Chief, Steelcase

Pros: Prepping dinner "crockpot-style" in the morning, so we are never late for dinner. Flexibility to reply to emails before officially starting the work day. Having unlimited tea and coffee an arm’s reach away

Cons: Keeping the dogs tired enough to stay quiet during conference calls. Missing going out to lunch with colleagues

Rolf Heimes, head of channels, Talend

I imagined I would have more time with my wife and our dogs. In reality, I found that I’m more productive, but I think it became easier for me to work longer hours and head back into the home office for “just one more email.” The kitchen is close so I tend to stay better hydrated and fed, but there are obstacles on the way like a Roomba or a sleeping dog, which doesn’t end well when you are on the phone. Using videoconferencing has also opened up our home lives (kids, pets, significant others) in a good way. That was unexpected and a really nice bonus with all that is going on around us these days. Ultimately, being available through a range of technologies for employees and partners provides a sense of stability and direction which is much needed right now.

Kevin Rooney, Vice President, Americas Partner Sales, Veeam Software

Pro: I get to see my family throughout the day.

Con: Easy access to the kitchen.

Jenni Flinders, vice president, global channel chief, VMware

Pros: Being close to my family so I can keep them busy with random chores while they don’t have class/work etc. My dogs (Cali and Comet) are my office companions. No commute traffic to deal with. Becoming best friends with my Peloton

Cons: I miss seeing all my partners and work colleagues from around the globe in person. When my dogs break into a barking frenzy while I am presenting on a video call – it’s both funny and embarrassing 😊

Al Caravelli, Zscaler’s vice president of global alliances and channels

Worst thing is not having the personal interaction with your customers & partners. From a personal perspective not being able to be close to family who are across country or in other countries. On the latter though, I’ve been speaking to my mother who is 86yrs (she will kill me if I say her age😊, she lives in Argentina,) every day via video, that she appreciate tremendously.

Other things that are bringing the positive out from people is helping each other. I have elderly neighbors who other neighbors are all pitching in to buy groceries for them, take them to their doctor, pharmacy runs, whatever they need.

I believe that in the worse times the best comes out in people. This after all is what America was built on. This crisis will define this generation as WWII defined the boomer generation as the best generation of all time.

As for me & Zscaler, we are working hard to keep employees safe/healthy by mandating WFH. Zscaler after all was built to for workers to be mobile. Our partners are helping organizations keep their employees safe & healthy as well as productive in order to maintain business continuity.