Brocade (NASDAQ:BRCD) has revealed details of its search for partners that fit its new software-focused networking portfolio.
With a legacy firmly established in Fibre Channel SAN technology, the last couple of years have seen Brocade chart a course further into software-based networking.
Speaking to Channel Pro, Kristian Kerr, director, EMEA partner organisation, says the move to software-based networks is “the biggest transition in the networking space in the last 20 years,” claiming that after datacentre virtualisation, “there’s no doubt the network is next.”
As such, Brocade recently signed up an additional 17 new partners to its channel programme, which Kerr describes as “very focused, next generation datacentre partners.”
Kerr took up the role of leading Brocade’s EMEA channel in November 2014, and in January he oversaw ther merger of the vendor’s traditional channel organisation and its OEM partner business.
Brocade has established OEM agreements for its SAN technology with the likes of HP, IBM, NetApp and HDS, and Kerr attributes the bump in partner numbers to greater interest from those vendor’s own partners.
The vendor is looking to recruit more partners that match that description, while at the same time focusing on helping its legacy reseller partners build the software-focused networking practices.
“Those vintage partners are core to our business,” says Kerr, who adds the goal is to get them skilled up on the new networks through education and training. “Long-term they realise they need to change.”
According to Brocade’s own research, 54 percent of its partners’ customers say they expect to move to software networks in the next two years, and 20 percent are already there.
Last month Brocade changed the way it provides MDF to partners. Previously it was based on accruals and now it is proposal-based – which Kerr says helps to support a partner’s business while they are building out their software practices.
Kerr also confirmed that Brocade has lost some Elite partners as part of a “re-levelling” process that saw a change in certifications and revenue thresholds – although he wouldn’t divulge the new threshold.
“It has given us a better idea of which partners are committed to Brocade,” he comments.
Leveraging its position as challenger in the market, Kerr says that having fewer partners than the likes of Cisco means “more margin opportunities and less competition.”
Kerr also spoke about Brocade’s three acquisitions in six months, all in the software and service provider space. The latest was the acquisition last month of SteelApp from Riverbed – a virtual application delivery controller (ADC) for enterprise, cloud and e-commerce applications. The exec says SteelApp complements Brocade’s networking software strategy, with little overlap in partners.
“It’s a new opportunity for them,” he says. “It’s attractive for them because the SteelApp technology sells to the app people in the customer environment, instead of the networking people so it opens up new conversations.”
Kerr says channel sales in EMEA account for “north of 90 percent” of overall sales, and continue to grow.
