EMC launches SMB strategy

EMC has flagged small business as the focus of its attention in 2006 with the launch of a new partner program and product set.

EMC has flagged small business as the focus of its attention in 2006 with the launch of a new partner program and product set.

The Velocity SMB Partner Program sees the enterprise storage vendor extending the advantages of its enterprise partner program, Velocity, to its smaller VARs, ISVs and service providers.

EMC partner and alliances manager, David Henderson, said the move into SMB was in anticipation of changes in the storage market.

“This year will see further consolidation, not necessarily through physical takeovers, but through the segmentation of the market into two value propositions,” he said.

“There will be a transactional side and a comprehensive side dealing with issues like information lifecycle management with partners acting as trusted advisors.”

Similar to the PC market, storage was now facing commoditisation with resellers now having to demonstrate value to customers in order to maintain margins, Henderson said.

The new program would encourage partners servicing the under-20 seat market to skill-up and achieve certifications in exchange for rebates, sales leads and training.

Incentives for pushing EMC’s new SMB-specific storage offering, the Insignia range, also feature.

A mix of hardware and software, the new product line — available from 1 April — uses IP from recent EMC acquisitions such as the October 2004 purchase of Dantz Development.

The range includes CLARiiON AX Series disk arrays, Storage Administrator for Exchange SMB Edition information management software, Retrospect backup and recovery software, RepliStor SMB Edition data replication software, VisualSRM SMB Edition storage resource management software, and eRoom SMB Edition collaboration software.

For its part EMC would limit its partner numbers to around 50 in order to help retain margin in the channel, he said. Partners currently accounted for 65 percent of the vendor’s local revenue.

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