Wireless LAN vendor Extricom has launched a global partner program and recruitment drive to sign VARs.

The PartnerAdvantage program will offer VARs free training in both technical and sales arenas, sales kits, and marketing tools, such as templates and seminars.

David Confalonieri, vice president of corporate marketing at Extricom, said the company has been developing a channel for a while and felt it needed to introduce a program to build a bond between sales and marketing between the vendor and its VARs.

“The outcome of the program is the same as the philosophy of the company—to help drive profit for partners,” he said.

The PartnerAdvantage program has three tiers: Registered, Select and Premier. Criteria for entry is dependent upon revenues, resources dedicated to the vendor and services ability. Confalonieri said the aim is not to start all the VARs at the same level.  “We will look at the potential of our relationship with each VAR, and fit them to the appropriate tier,” he said.

He said Extricom is looking to increase by 30 to 50 percent its number of partners in the United States, from 50, and is especially looking for VARs with a vertical focus, such as manufacturing, warehousing, health care or education.   

The vendor is also adding more resources into the United States so that each person within a certain region can cultivate a pool of VARs in their area, Confalonieri said.

Confalonieri admitted he hopes the program will entice VARs from rivals such as Cisco and Hewlett-Packard. However, he said, “For many of our VARs we are an alternative to Cisco. We are not demanding that VARs only sell our portfolio; most of our VARs carry us both.”