Dell Channel Blog : Partner Direct Events

And The Winner's Are...

DELL-Bob Sk — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:30:00 GMT

This week we announced the Enterprise Architecture Partner of the Year Awards (Note: Login to the Partner Portal before linking to read the announcement). Congratulations to the winners: (National) GreenPages, Open Storage Solutions and Nviron and (Regional) Corporate IT Solutions, Syscom Technologies, Keep IT Simple, Eagle Software and OPUS Consulting Group.

Looking back at the nomination award forms, I see a number of common threads. First, these partners lead with Dell solutions to their customers, solving their critical business challenges using a consultative approach from needs assessment right through to planning and deployment. Second, despite encountering initial bumps in the PartnerDirect program road and challenges engaging with the Dell direct account team, these Partners persevered by staying the course – building relationships across all the Dell lines of business and customer segments and by figuring out how to best work together with the Dell Channel and direct account teams teams to grow their businesses. And, third, these Partners fully utilize Dell Certified Partner resources by participating in Dell training programs, holding lead generation, tradeshow, and solutions events, scheduling Call Blitz Days, and passing along incentive and promotion opportunities. In some cases, this level of engagement has earned Partners significant--even high double-digit growth year over year.

Having personally called each of these Partners to notify them of the award, I can tell you they were all very excited to be a “Partner of the Year” and looking forward to leveraging this recognition in their marketing efforts and in the press. Even more important, the awards are just one more way they’ve been rewarded for their willingness to work through challenges with us and take advantage of the Dell brand and market share opportunities. That’s the secret in the sauce.

Dell Virtualization: Simplifying the Path to Profit

DELL-Jeff J — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 16:30:00 GMT

Yesterday, we had a live webinar for our PartnerDirect partners designed to provide ideas and guidance on how to drive more virtualization business with your customers.

Three things you will learn more about during the webinar include:

· How to help your customers achieve an 8 month ROI on server consolidation

· How to leverage virtualization to increase availability and faster recovery when/if disruptions occur.

· How to deploy servers 43% faster than previously possible

Dell is working hard to demystify the complexity associated with virtualization. This webinar will talk through how and what we are doing to make that possible. Here is the archived recording to watch when you get a chance.

New solutions offer expanded opportunities for partners

DELL-Ryan S — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:00:00 GMT

Today, Dell announced the availability of new servers, storage and virtualization solutions for you to offer your customers.

Building on our Efficient Enterprise launch back on March 30th, Dell today announced the expansion from those first five server platforms and the PS6000 Series iSCSI storage array with three more server platforms and the introduction of our new PS4000 Series iSCSI storage array.

Our new Dell EqualLogic PS4000 Series arrays offers all the great features and capabilities of our EqualLogic PS6000 but scaled down so it's in the "sweet-spot" for your small, medium business customer needs or for larger customers looking to compliment their existing PS6000 deployment with a remote, branch office storage array solution.

Meanwhile, our 11^th Generation of PowerEdge servers are joined by the latest additions

T410 is designed for robust performance and flexibility for growing businesses and remote sites in a tower form factor.
T710 is designed for high performance and capacity for server consolidation and virtualization in a tower or 5U rack mountable form factor.
R410 is designed to be the most versatile rack server, with high performance and high value in a compact rack form factor for all business applications.

All three servers offer the industry’s only “instant-on” embedded systems management that simplifies deployment and management while being powered by the new Intel Xeon 5500 Series processors.

Finally, Dell announced a variety of virtualization oriented features, capabilities and enablement deliverables including engineering validated reference architectures. To learn more about these new virtualization, server and storage capabilities please register for either this Friday’s PS4000 Webinar or Monday’s Virtualization webinar called “Dell Virtualization: Simplifying the Path to Profit” for PartnerDirect registered and certified partners.

Update 6-24-08: In this short vlog Sean Phelan of Dell PartnerDirect talks with OuterNet President Dan McDougal about the latest 11G products and services.

(Please visit the site to view this media)

The six things I learned about the channel selling laptops

DELL-Jeff J — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 16:00:00 GMT

About a week ago Dell Channel Group held several webinars where they shared the secrets to selling business laptops in this increasingly mobile and competitive world. While some of it sounded like “selling 101” (know your customer’s needs before you start selling), it did do a nice job of breaking the conversation down to six big ideas which any channel partner can use. It is pretty easy to sell a laptop, but selling the idea and strategy behind mobility is a lot different. Selling laptops lead to sales. Selling mobility leads to deep relationships, sales of hardware, and services. At the risk of oversimplification, here they are:

1. Find out what your customers are trying to accomplish: If they are battling IT complexity, make sure you sell those laptops with strong & centralized remote management features and security. If they are trying to manage costs, the answer is the same – laptops with embedded remote & centralized management tools lower the total cost of ownership.

2. Determine how laptops are being used: The usage environment says a lot about the type of laptop needed. A really mobile workforce requires lighter or more rugged laptops with advanced wireless, networking, and remote management capabilities. High performance use requires mobile workstations – not necessarily the lightest but certainly the most powerful. Standard office performance or limited mobility really points to small business laptops.

3. Assess what their IT environment looks like: High-end applications, centralized management, and flawless reliability & support really point to enterprise-class laptops (Latitude, Precision, and OptiPlex). Simple or non-standard environments call for small business laptops (Vostro), where most management is done at the laptop. And if the customer doesn’t have a centralized security or storage environment, there are great opportunities for partner services to standardize and protect.

4. Determine their level of understanding about laptops: Some customers will see a laptop as a critical element in a strategy to increase worker productivity. These are the ones that will be willing to pay for the features and support needed to protect and management them. Other customers see laptops as a way to un-tether people from their desks. These are the ones that are looking for more basic wireless and security features that are managed on the laptop (finger print readers, disk encryption, Wi-Fi catcher, etc.).

5. Assess their level of sophistication: Complex networks and more complex applications require business models like Dell Latitude laptops and Dell Precision Mobile Workstations. These models are specifically made for these types of uses. Simple networks and standard business applications require models like Vostro laptops & desktops or OptiPlex desktops.

6. Find out what they want to do themselves: This is both a hardware fit and services fit for the channel partner. The more your customers want your assistance – from simple deployment to managed services – the more you have an opportunity to sell services. More importantly, these kinds of services often provide visibility into the customer IT infrastructure, which can lead to even more opportunity.

Dell laptops come with the kinds of tools and features that allow a channel partner to deliver what their customer’s need, everything from self-managed laptops to enterprise-class ones with embedded remote management features. The replay of the webinar is available here, and it is certainly worth a listen. And Registered channel partners also have access to Dell’s Guide to Selling Laptops, Desktops, and Workstations, which can be found here, or you can look at the Easy Matrix Partner Tool here.

So in this environment, anyone can sell a laptop. The market wants them. But selling mobility can lead to much deeper relationships with customers that solves bigger issues that just the price of the box. If you want to see more of this kind of thing, let use know.

Darwin could have been a Dell partner

DELL-Paul H — Thu, 21 May 2009 20:00:00 GMT

This week I have been attending the ChannelExpo 2009 show in Birmingham, UK. The show had a great turn out and for me was an ideal opportunity to meet with partners, customers and members of the UK IT trade press at our Dell stand.

For Dell, the event marked 16 eventful months in the channel. Reflecting on this opening period and what we’ve learnt was the focus of my keynote speech in the seminar theatre on the first day. Talking with existing and prospective partners encouraged me that we are making the right enhancements to PartnerDirect. We now have over 17,000 partners across EMEA and our channel business is worth $11bn worldwide.

One of the key things we have taken from the last year is the value of feedback from partners in developing the programme. This is why we created the Partner Advisory Councils (having just held our second one last month in London and attended by Michael Dell). Without partner input we genuinely would not have got to where we are now, and have the planned enhancements for the next 12 months.

Our recent company re-organisation is another enhancement allowing us to integrate our partners and business segments. The channel is now woven into everything we do. This combined with the changes to internal processes that encourage and reward our internal teams working with the channel means we are continuously evolving. The initial concerns the partner community had towards Dell’s commitment to wholeheartedly adopting a channel model are disappearing rapidly.

Our partners are evolving too. Charles Darwin is often misquoted as saying “survival of the fittest”. What he actually said was the species most responsive to change are the ones that survive. This is happening across our eco-system too, as partners move from broad coverage to specialisation in services and vertical solutions.

This clear differentiation is something we are striving for in our partners and our PartnerDirect programme – the desire to stand out above the rest. Dell is committed to becoming the No.1 partner rated programme through listening, engaging and enabling our partners to lead with Dell.

The year ahead is set to be a challenging one for the whole industry as we work through the world economic crisis. However, I’m confident that our partners are accepting the challenge in the right way by adapting and evolving how they work with their customers, in the same way that we are evolving the programme that serves them.

Partner Perspective: Update on Dell’s Enterprise Architecture Partner Advisory Council

Doug Ford — Tue, 12 May 2009 15:00:00 GMT

*Note from the Editor: Our Partner, Doug Ford – President, The I.T. Pros wrote the following for us during the Partner Advisory Council meeting last week in Chicago.

“We partner with several vendors, but Dell stands above the rest in their effort to listen to their Partners and take action on issues impacting the channel. In the last Partner Advisory Council (PAC) meeting, Greg Davis asked the group for their top 3 issues disrupting the channel. After receiving constructive feedback and suggestions from the group, he walked out of the room, got on his cell phone, used the recommendations made by the PAC members, and came back into the meeting with an “on the spot” actionable solution that allayed the concerns of the PAC. In the same meeting, Bob Skelley came prepared with a status update on each of the issues discussed in our last PAC meeting. It’s clear that Dell is interested in Partner feedback and is committed to making changes to improve the channel experience.”

Dell PartnerDirect InThe News

DELL-Amie P — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 15:00:00 GMT

At the recent, RCP Platinum Partner Program Awards, Dell’s PartnerDirect program walked away with accolades from the Redmond Channel Partner readers. With a hearty 69% of readers stating they resell or recommend Dell products and 33% of respondents belong to the PartnerDirect program, Dell walked away as a serious contender with a relatively new program under their belt.

The RCP Awards, evaluate third party vendors based on their ability to integrate well with Microsoft oriented solutions. Read more about the awards or check out the complete results here.

Dell Talks Managed Services Strategy with MSPMentor.net

DELL-Amie P — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 20:35:00 GMT

Dell’s Peter Klanian, Senior Manager Channel Sales, hosted a webinar with the MSPMentor folks on Wednesday. During the event, Peter answered numerous MSP & partner questions about Dell’s managed services strategy.

If you missed the webinar, visit http://tinyurl.com/dbx9zj

Q: How are silverback & Everdream different?

A: Silverback (Dell Remote Monitoring) is a tool that proactively alerts on a set of pre-defined conditions related to servers, network devices, PCs, and peripherals as well as the applications and operation systems that run on these devices.

Everdream (Dell Desktop Manager) is a tool that allows desktop admins to deploy various services to desktops and laptops, such as software distribution, asset management, antivirus, antimalware, and may other commonly used desktop services. Everdream is not an alerting tool, it is a management tool.

Q: How has Dell adjusted Silverback and Everdream positioning and partner programs?

A: Both Silverback and Everdream platforms are the basis for MSP Certification under PartnerDirect.

Q: Can I manage non-windows devices?

A: Yes, Silverback can handle non-windows devices.

Q: How many MSPs has Dell Certified?

A: More than 200 (and growing.)

Q: What are the costs?

A: Starter packages range from $5k to $9k.

Q: What are the requirements for certification?

A:1. Purchase a starter package

2. One engineer must attend a 1-week training class and pass an exam

3. Partner must complete either Business Builder program to build service offerings or pass Audit to prove they already have Managed Service offerings.

Q: Does Dell offer MSP pricing guidance?

A: Yes, this is a key part of our business builder program.

Q: Does Dell help develop service level agreements?

A: Yes, we help partners develop their own SLAs but do not provide pre-packaged SLAs.

Q: Will Dell use my Deal ref info to take sales direct?

A: Absolutely not. We have strict rules to make sure we maintain integrity with our channel partners.

Q: How do I escalate complaints or concerns to Dell?

A: Start with your account team. They will raise to executive management in the channels group as needed.

Q: Do your NY and Dallas direct managed services program compete w/ MSPs ?

A: Yes, to a degree. However, we protect Dell Certified MSPs from competing with this offer via our Deal Registration program. Also, if we engage with prospects who are already under a Managed Services contract with a Dell Certified MSP, our policy is to back away from the opportunity to avoid channel shifting.

If our readers have additional questions, please leave them here for Peter to answer. We’ll post the webinar recording as soon as the file is posted on MSPMentor. Thanks!

PartnerDirect in Europe, One Year Later...

DELL-Emmanuel M — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 15:00:00 GMT

It’s now a year since we launched PartnerDirect in Europe and the first thing we would like to do is thank all of our partners who have contributed to the success of the program in the first twelve months. When we launched PartnerDirect we were responding in part to demand from customers who wanted more choice in the way they could purchase Dell technology, and also to feedback from resellers who were keen to engage with Dell in a structured way.

On February 12, 2008, when we launched PartnerDirect in Europe, we were already conducting business with 30,000 resellers worldwide and had approximately $9 billion in Dell annual run-rate revenue globally. PartnerDirect formalised our existing channel initiatives, and was built based on feedback from thousands of solution providers.

We starting operating with some skepticism from the channel and the media, but our success over the last twelve months is a testament to the fact that we have fulfilled the promises we made to our partners when PartnerDirect was first announced. In Europe, we now have over 15,000 partners on board in nineteen countries. Globally, we have over 35,000 registered partners, who can access the portal in 19 languages in 148 countries..

In June 2008 we announced our Certification program and in September we held our first Partner Advisory Council in Europe with Michael Dell in attendance, giving PartnerDirect members the opportunity to pass on feedback and help shape our channel programs going forward

We know that the year ahead is likely to be a tough one – IT spending priorities will change and purse-strings will be tightened. Dell’s ‘Simplify and Save’ motto clearly will resonate well in the times ahead and it is up to us and our partners to make sure this message gets out there to end-users. Over the coming months we will be making further announcements around PartnerDirect which we think will really help our partners remain profitable and defy some of the warnings we see every day in the media.

We have aimed to make the idea of listening to partners and customers a defining theme for PartnerDirect. Many of the changes we have made to PartnerDirect in the first year have come around as a direct result of feedback that we have solicited from partners. We had a great start in 2008 in EMEA, but there is much more potential to expand PartnerDirect. In 2009, we will continue to evolve PartnerDirect by:

· Increasing our focus on fostering advocacy and collaboration between our direct and channel business

· Announcing the next accreditation in our Certification program

· Continuing to invest significantly in our rebate program for our partners

Today’s anniversary is the culmination of months of hard work by our European PartnerDirect team. We would like to thank our Dell team and our partners for making PartnerDirect a success in 2008. As we look to FY10, let’s continue to build on the solid foundation we have laid down for our channel partners and for Dell.

NYC Future of Computing – Follow Up

DELL-Amie P — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 21:00:00 GMT

One of our Channel Account Managers pinged me regarding CRN’s coverage of Dell’s latest Future Computing Event. Last week’s FTC was held at Pier 60/Chelsea Piers in NYC where IT Managers and VARs were invited to see latest Dell offerings on simplifying IT via our products, services and solutions.

CRN’s slide show coverage of the event started off with the best intentions but somewhere, after slide 10, things went downhill.

On Slide 11- http://www.crn.com/it-channel/210002164;jsessionid=M3FCJOSYEY4ZOQSNDLRSKH0CJUNN2JVN?pgno=11

We would like the opportunity to address CRN’s coverage and let everyone know that we had four sales managers staffing the booth throughout the event (thank you to Chris, Bryan, Stuart and Xavier). While they were with Partners for most of the day, we believe this photo was taken during their actual presentation. While we like to multi-task, we just can’t be everywhere all the time!

On Slide 12- http://www.crn.com/it-channel/210002164;jsessionid=M3FCJOSYEY4ZOQSNDLRSKH0CJUNN2JVN?pgno=12

Dell had numerous existing and potential partners show interest in our booth and attend the presentation. Whether you’re a current Dell partner or looking to become one, we are always happy to share and educate you on our offerings. Bryan’s quote on slide 12, is spot on, Dell is constantly proving ourselves and building trust with our Partners and Industry folks.