Bull`s Eye Awards: Partner Program of the Year (Class B) - CHALLENGER
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Isilon Systems
Few companies have seen the kind of explosive growth in channel efforts that
storage system vendor Isilon Systems has experienced over the past year. In
part because of its new Preferred Partner Program, the Seattle-based vendor
achieved significant growth while maintaining gross margins close to 57
percent, a ringing endorsement of Isilon's partner strategies.
Indeed, the goal for Isilon has been elegantly simple: Make more money.
"There's a better margin opportunity for selling our products versus
competitors," says channel veteran Leonard Iventosch, Isilon's vice president
of global channels and OEM. "Our partners are making on average more than
double what [competitors'] partners are."
Iventosch, who came to Isilon from NetApp late last year, crafted the
Preferred Partner Program, which now contributes close to 60 percent of
Isilon's total revenues. Isilon's focus on verticals such as media and
entertainment, bioinformatics, Internet, and electronic design automation gives
partners with expertise in these industries the support they need to manage
deep integration into such accounts, and take the lead in future selling
opportunities.
Isilon's Preferred Partner Program is built on two core pillars: a pricing
discount model that eliminates discounting weighted toward direct sales and
lets resellers set their own discounts and maintain 20 to 30 percent margins;
and a professional service opportunity that encourages partners to participate
in a channel-driven professional services model.
Isilon's Preferred Partner Program is divided into three tiers—Platinum,
Gold and Silver, which offer a variety of discounts, MDF, support and training,
depending on the partners’ level of commitment and expertise with Isilon offerings.
Because of its consistent, predictable partner-centric business proposition
backed by a direct sales force trained and incented to drive revenue through
the channel, Isilon's Preferred Partner Program has earned the Channel Insider
Challenger Bull's Eye Award for Partner Program of the Year for companies less
than $1 billion in size.
