NetApp Expands Partner Program with Increased Focus on Service Providers to Help Customers Make the Transition to the Cloud

NetApp Expands Partner Program with Increased Focus on Service Providers to Help Customers Make the Transition to the Cloud Sunnyvale, Calif.-June 9, 2010-NetApp (NASDAQ: NTAP) today announced a key enhancement to the 2010-2011 NetApp Partner Program with the integration of service providers as part of the broader NetApp partner ecosystem. This global program, which is the first of its kind in the storage industry, tightens the relationship between NetApp, its key service provider partners, and its value-added reseller (VAR) partners, enabling them to work together to more effectively help customers move to a cloud computing environment.

Enterprise data centers today are increasingly evolving to a hybrid model that blends traditional in-house IT with application and infrastructure services delivered externally via the cloud. Effective immediately, the NetApp Partner Program for Service Providers, which was developed in recognition of this change in IT consumption patterns, supports best-of-breed providers as they build and deploy enterprise-class cloud services on NetApp. It offers a range of go-to-market benefits to connect them with enterprise customers.

Benefits for Service Providers

Service providers who join the NetApp Partner Program will be able to build their cloud service offerings on efficient NetApp storage and data management solutions, allowing them to operate profitably based on low-cost and predictable service levels. Service providers also gain access to a wide range of unique tools and programs delivered by NetApp, including technical, training, and service benefits, as well as marketing and sales support, all geared to allow service providers to differentiate their services, speed time to market, and grow their revenues.

Unlike other storage vendors, NetApp does not deliver its own proprietary cloud services to compete with those of service providers. Expanding on this successful approach, service provider partners who join the NetApp Partner Program can leverage the NetApp selling ecosystem to extend their sales reach and grow their business.

NetApps unique approach to working with its partner community is proof that they are committed to helping us accelerate our own business, said Stacy Hayes, vice president of Strategic Alliances, Terremark, a NetApp Service Provider Partner. As a member of the NetApp Partner Program, we now have access to a variety of tools and support that not only help us differentiate our services and improve time to market but also allow us to more effectively address our customers cloud service needs.

The NetApp Partner Program opens up sales channels for us that previously did not exist, said Robert Fuller, vice president of Worldwide Channel Sales, Rackspace, a NetApp Service Provider Partner. The collaborative sales model is truly unique, and strengthens our relationship not only with NetApp but also with NetApp VARs, allowing us to work together to secure new cloud customers and help our joint customers make a smooth and successful transition to the cloud.

Benefits for VARs

As enterprises increasingly seek to consume IT through the cloud, traditional resellers must respond to meet new customer needs. Rather than invest in the infrastructure and resources needed to become a cloud service provider, resellers can take a less expensive and quicker route by leveraging the service providers in the NetApp Partner Program. VARs can directly align with NetApp preferred service providers to offer cloud solutions to the end customer. This allows VARs to meet demand for cloud services and grow their business without investing in new data centers. It also enables them to maintain their trusted advisor status by guiding their customers to a best-of-breed cloud solution based on NetApp.

As a specialized VAR focused on cloud computing, we have found through experience that success depends on the ability to adapt to our customers ever-changing IT environments, said Chris Aliberti, senior vice president, National Sales, Insight Integrated Systems. With an already established base of major cloud computing contracts, we have an excellent understanding of the technology, integration, and service needs of todays customers and we believe that the relationships with service providers like Rackspace will dramatically accelerate and improve our ability to deliver NetApp solutions in this growing market.

Benefits for Enterprise Customers

NetApps expanding partner ecosystem around cloud services provides enterprises with more flexibility when they consider their next IT project. Through the tighter integration between NetApp and its VAR and Service Provider Partners, enterprise customers benefit by receiving better guidance and access to industry-leading cloud services as they plan and execute a hybrid data center strategy.

A fundamental component of the NetApp growth strategy is our ability to develop differentiated pathways to market, said Julie Parrish, vice president of Global Channel Sales for NetApp. Integrating service providers into our innovative NetApp Partner Program is key to this strategy and provides important focus on partners that can enable our enterprise customers move to cloud environments. Todays enhancements to our NetApp Partner Program combined with our go-to-market approach are further testaments to our commitment to provide opportunities for partners to participate in the latest end customer trends.

For more perspective on the integration of service providers as part of the broader NetApp partner ecosystem, please visit the blogs for Julie Parrish and Val Bercovici, NetApps cloud czar.

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LINK:	http://www.netapp.com/us/company/news/press-releases/news-rel-20100609...
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