7 April 2008
by Paul Kunert
Cisco is to reward resellers that drive its service-orientated network architecture (SONA) in server farms.
Initially a handful of partners with data centre architects and skills in security and storage will be invited into the scheme. They must be able to offer remote management.
Tom Kelly, UK managing director at Logicalis, said the programme would make Cisco’s drive into the data centre more co-ordinated: "The returns and incentives will drive resellers’ behaviour, this scheme is very positive."
The additional margins will pay for investment in technical and sales support, he added, and he said he hoped Cisco would not open the scheme to hundreds of resellers and integrators.
Telindus UK marketing head Darragh Richardson agreed that entry to the scheme would need to be well-policed.
"Cisco must ensure it is valuable. Data centres are a demanding market so there is a big incentive for Cisco to make sure partners do it properly or not at all," he said.
The news confirmed suggestions of a major shift into the data centre sector that had long been expected according to euroLAN managing consultant, Keith Humphries. He said: "I’m expecting it to be a collaborative initiative with other vendors, which would be a good thing because Cisco doesn’t yet have a strong play."
"To go in with a complete IP offering, the obvious thing is to have a channel to do that," he added.
Cisco said it would not comment on the scheme until it is launched.
