Brocade yesterday unveiled a series of channel initiatives alongside a new set of networking switches that will help its channel partners capitalise on the increasing sales opportunities in the campus LAN market.
Khaled Kamel, territory channel manager, MENA for Brocade said, “Brocade is an established leader in the Storage Area Network (SAN) space worldwide. We believe that there is huge growth potential in the campus LAN area and hence we have decided to focus on this segment through cutting-edge products and channel programmes geared towards channel enablement and profitability. The low price points of the newly launched ICX products coupled with revolutionary HyperEdge technology make it a very attractive proposition to customers”.
The new switches ICX 6430 and ICX 6450 incorporate Brocade’s vision of ‘Effortless Networking’ with ‘HyperEdge technology’ – designed to simplify the campus network edge by easing operations and management. HyperEdge gives organisations the ability to mix and match premium and entry-level edge switches enabling firms to save money, the company said.
The product launch is backed by a strong channel programme designed to increase profitablility of partners offering Brocade’s new LAN solutions, according to the company. This includes increased deal registration discounts on secured deals that include Brocade ICX products – above and beyond existing deal registration discounts. Demo program discounts, where partners can get campus networking equipment for sales presentations or to equip their lab environments at significantly reduced rates, is also part of the new programme.
Brocade has invested significantly in providing hundreds of units to partners worldwide to ‘test drive’ the products in advance to gain hands-on product experience. Other channel initatives include the launch of a completely new APN Training site on MyBrocade, including course material on the Brocade campus LAN portfolio, lucrative rewards programmes and a new technical accreditation, the Brocade Accredited Campus Networking Specialist.
“With the introductions of the Brocade ICX product portfolio and the new campus-focused APN initiatives, Brocade is delivering on its promise of leveraging the strength of the channel to bring about IT transformation – while empowering our partners to be more competitive,” said Barbara Spicek, VP of Global Channels at Brocade. “We are focused on building technology solutions around the vision of ‘The Effortless Network,’ and extending that focus to our go-to-market strategy to help partners deliver radically simplified solutions that dramatically reduce network complexity and operational overhead.”
The new Brocade APN program initiatives are available now, the company announed.
