Pillar Data Systems is revamping its channel partner program with benefits designed to better fit solution providers’ business models and eliminate channel conflict, and is also announcing new expansion into the lucrative market in Italy.

Pillar’s Axiom storage platform allows the company’s solution providers a competitive advantage over other vendors’ solution, since the Axiom can differentiate application priority in a data center and allocate performance to match, says Bob Maness, vice president of worldwide sales and channels, Pillar.

Maness says Pillar’s new Emerald channel program incentives will allow solution providers to increase sales and margins across the board, and the new incentives will customize programs to suit individual partners’ business models, Maness says.

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“It might sound simplistic, but one of the things we’ve heard from partners is they really value our ability to listen and be more responsive, which helps go to market more strongly, close more deals and increase their profits,” he says.

Tailoring Pillar’s programs to meet specific partners’ businesses means being able to support partners that focus solely on integration and/or services delivery, for instance, Maness says. To that end, Pillar will offer volume deals to partners that buy in large quantities to bring prices down. For services-focused solution providers, Maness says Pillar’s Registered Service Partner program can further educate partners on installation and maintenance of Axiom solutions, which can increase their margins and strengthen relationships with customers.

“This is not a one-size-fits all approach, but a customized way to help different types of partners go to market,” he says.

In addition, Pillar will offer a design registration program that will protect not just deals registered, but solution designs developed by partners and proposed to clients. This program is designed to protect Pillar’s partners and eliminate channel conflict at the end-user level, Maness says.

Pillar partners also will have the ability to match pricing of competitive solutions, he says, and a tiered rebate model will offer both front- and back-end rewards to partners based on sales performance.

Maness says Pillar also will minimize channel conflict by being extremely selective about partner recruitment. Pillar plans to limit the number of authorized reseller partners in each sales region to mitigate unnecessary competition between solution providers.
“We’re going to be much more picky about which partners we’re selecting—we won’t recruit just for the sake of recruiting,” Maness says. This approach also benefits customers, since customers don’t have to spend an inordinate amount of time weighing solution options from too many sources.

Pillar will also expand its European channel program into the lucrative market in Italy, Maness says, to complement coverage it already has in France, Germany, the United Kingdom and in the Middle East.

Maness says as Italy consolidates its telecommunications industry and public utilities, Pillar is seeing demand for partners with expertise in these areas.

“Demand has been increased because there are now fewer folks to sell to in Italy, but the demand is increasing much more quickly,” he says. "We’re taking advantage as much as possible to get in there and talk to potential customers and partners we hadn’t had access to before,” Maness says.