Enhancements to Dell’s PartnerDirect Program
Enhancements to Dell’s PartnerDirect Program by UCStrategies Staff
Dell’s PartnerDirect program is undergoing alterations so that more software-only requirements will be made part of it; this will support the integration with various channel programs which the company has purchased over the last couple of years.
The Dell Software initiative is seeking to support businesses plan, deploy and manage mobile and BYOD environments better, and the new changes are expected to improve and merge existing products.
The present requirements for hardware will be complemented with the new Dell Software enhancements, and will mean that VARs can pay more attention to hardware or software, depending on company requirements. In the past, hardware resellers and partners centered around software had similar revenue targets. Dell’s software group was unveiled in February 2012, and the previous CEO of CA Technologies, John Swainson, was hired to run it.
The changes to PartnerDirect will mean that Dell resellers will be able to make use of their own specific requirements, and revenue goals are a part of this; it will allow them to become Premier and Preferred partners. It is currently unclear what those products requirements will be.
A number of software companies have been purchased by Dell over the last two or so years, amongst which are AppAssure, Quest Software, Credant Technologies and Gale Technologies in 2012. The Texas-based vendor, Round Rock, will combine the solution providers and various other acquisitions into its PartnerDirect program in the upcoming months.
Four software-related competencies are also being planned through PartnerDirect Security, Systems Management, Data Protection and Information Management later this year.
The marketing manager at Bellevue, Washington-based CyberStreams and Dell partner, Thomas Allen, stated that more detail will be added to the terms so that software lines make sense. He said: “In general, the whole one-size-fits-all [model], as far as volume goes, tends to be a bad model.”
To reach a certain level, a selection of product lines may be required to have different criteria due to the elaborate sales cycle and product.
Allen added: “What you do for an individual sale could be a lot of work and you don't sell as much volume as another product. As with product differences, requirements should be adjusted accordingly too.”
BYOD enablement has been leveraged by Dell through its new Dell Mobility Solutions, and this will ensure that the security of data will rise, as will mobile experiences of users that can access business applications.
Corporate-owned devices can also be supported by the Mobility portfolio, as can employee-owned devices, or a “choose-your-own” model which can be distributed as a stand-alone provision, or as something that is part of other solutions, such as endpoint management, remote network access, monitoring, virtualization, data protection, security and identity management.
Furthermore, new endpoint security enhancements, like Dell Kace management appliances, Dell Quest user workspace solutions and Dell Wyse Cloud Client Manager have been created by Dell Software.
Patch management with Windows 8 support and expanded patch coverage are provided by the Kace K1000 Management Appliance, and the Kace 3000 Mobile Management Appliance broadens the reach of systems management to smartphones and tablets.
Enterprise connectors and assimilation to Active Directory for automated user management and single sign-on capability are a part of the most recent Dell Wyse Client Cloud Manager release. Mobile application management and assimilation with Dell Wyse Pocket cloud for managed remote access to corporate apps and data are also provided.
Dell Networking W-Series ClearPass, an access management solution for managing BYOD that links to existing networks to manage policies, secure onboard devices, admit guest users, display device usage and perform health assessments, has also been unveiled.
Migration Manager for Exchange and Migration Manager for Active Directory have also been announced by Dell. (CY) Link