F5 Networks (NASDAQ: FFIV) has appointed former Hitachi Data Systems and BMC Software channel exec Neill Burton as its new head of channel and alliances for the UK, Ireland and Sub-Saharan Africa (UKISSA) region.
Reporting directly to Myles Bray, regional SVP, sales, UKISSA, Burton will be responsible for F5’s overall channel strategy and execution across the region, developing the vendor’s partner base “into a cohesive ecosystem to better serve F5’s customers.”
Burton joined BMC last summer as VP of channels and alliances for the UK and Ireland, after two years as VP, channels and alliances at HDS. Previous to that he spent 11 years at Computacenter, where he headed the Datacenter Solutions business line and the specialist sales force.
Bray says Burton joins F5 at an important time for the company. “Hybrid cloud enablement and related security issues are changing the way our customers deliver applications, which in turn is leading to shifting procurement and partner strategies. Neill will be key in repositioning F5 to ensure our customers’ needs continue to be met in a market where partners and influencers deliver outcomes using a mixed blend of technologies and services,” he comments.
According to Burton, “F5’s Synthesis vision is a powerful message for our customers and therefore F5’s channel ecosystem. Instead of buying into mere product excellence, it means people can buy into a strategy. F5 is a company that has experienced accelerated growth and, I believe, with a next generation partner ecosystem built to bring outsourcers, systems integrators and value-added resellers under the same umbrella, we are well positioned to continue this growth path in the immediate future.”
