Dell's acquisition of EqualLogic, announced Nov. 5, is a validation of its commitment to expanding relationships with the indirect channel, according to Dell's channel chief.
Greg Davis, head of North American Channels at Dell, said the move will allow the vendor to take advantage of the work EqualLogic has done with its channel partners and build up relationships with EqualLogic's 500 channel partners and 3,000 customers.
While Dell has no specific channel growth targets yet, Davis said he will focus on taking the best of what EqualLogic offers its partners and integrating those strategies with Dell's own channel plans.
"We really want to understand EqualLogic's programs and partners and then collectively take advantage of its experience to grow both of our businesses," Davis said.
Click here to read about reactions to Dell's new channel chief.
The $1.4 billion cash deal for EqualLogic, a provider of high-performance SAN (storage area network) solutions, will add iSCSI and virtualization capabilities to Dell's channel portfolio and allow Dell to push more aggressively into the enterprise storage space.
A Dell spokesperson added that Dell will continue to operate EqualLogic under the EqualLogic brand and will expand EqualLogic's current channel program based on the strength of current and future products.
In its announcement, Dell said it will also incorporate EqualLogic SAN technologies into future versions of the Dell PowerVault storage line.
Channel News and Analysis 
