Kemp Technologies, a provider of entry level load balancers, has formalised its channel strategy with the creation of a new partner programme, deal registration and appointment of George Zervos as its first head of UK channel.
Kemp, which last year ended a long running patent dispute with rival F5 Networks, is targeting SMBs looking for low cost server load balancing with particular focus on Microsoft Exchange and related web applications.
“We have had relationships [in the UK] that have gone back six years but no real channel strategy,” admits Ray Downes, general manager for EMEA at Kemp. However, the firm’s investment two years ago in a 13 strong European technical support team was the precursor to a formal channel programme that it announced this week.
The new programme puts in place a simple two tier model of authorised and advanced partners with the usual deal registration and channel incentives. Downes is aiming to recruit up to 30 partners to complement the “dozen or so” that are regularly selling Kemp products.
“We offer a lower cost alternative that does around 70 percent of the features of an F5 box but at a sub £10000 price point,” he says. The firm has already signed up a couple of existing F5 partners, such as System Professional Ltd, which Downes believes is due to its competitive pricing and less saturated channel.
The firm has reinforced its commitment to long term distributor Gtech, but hinted that there maybe scope for aligning with other distributors to further increase its reach “in markets where it makes sense,” he adds. The appointment of Zervos is recognition that the firm needs a dedicated channel manager to grow its partner community in the UK.
The EMEA chief believes that there is still an opportunity to win market share from incumbents such as F5 Networks, Cisco and Citrix that each own just over a quarter of the market. Of the remaining 20 percent, Kemp has an optimistic aim to win five percent market share against the likes of second tier rivals such as Zeus, 2x and Barracuda.
Channel Pro comment:
It not easy for Kemp chasing the last 20 percent of a market that has several well-funded and hugely dominant players. However, in the SMB space where price is king, the recommendation of a well-placed channel partner combined with aggressive pricing can sway a deal its way to make up for its lack of brand awareness.
The fact that it has a pricing model that is cheaper than almost any other rival (bar a few open source alternatives) backed by a technical support presence in region should give the channel confidence that this is not a ‘fly by night’ operation. Whether the SMB market for load balancing is actually growing against the push toward cloud, which negates the need for lots of on-premise servers, is another more fundamental long term question. In the short term, another committed vendor offering an alternative for the channel can’t be a bad thing.
