EDITOR ’ S COMMENT

CHRIS MARTIN , CHANNEL LEADER , EMEA AND SAARC , A10 NETWORKS

The rise in a globally dispersed workforce and new work-from-home requirements are placing extraordinary pressure on organisations ’ networks . At the same time , COVID-19 has accelerated Digital Transformation across many industries , with a shift towards hybrid and multicloud to service both customers and employees in this new environment . Chris Martin , Channel Leader , EMEA and SAARC , A10 Networks , discusses these changes and how the company and its channel partners can ensure customers ’ data centre applications and networks remain available , resilient and secure in the months ahead .

These changes further underline the importance of operational efficiency , management , visibility and security for organisations . This is where A10 Networks and its channel partners can ensure customers ’ data centre applications and networks remain available , resilient and secure in the months ahead .

With a 100 % of our business transacted through channel partners in EMEA , partners are central to A10 Networks ’ plans . The channel is incredibly important to us and the pandemic has not affected our commitment nor our investment in the channel . In fact , we have championed the channel in 2020 , having made huge investments in our partner ecosystem and our Affinity Partner Programme over the last year or so . As such , we have focused on three key areas : education , engagement and deal registration and we currently have underway five key channel initiatives which include developing our distribution relationships , deal registration , partner ecosystem , organic leads and channel enablement .

Having said this , we are much more focused on certain key vertical sectors and as such we are looking to work with partners who have specialist vertical market capabilities . In effect , we are looking to identify the right partners , addressing the right gap in the right vertical market .

Training and certification

Training is key to this enablement and A10 Networks is passionate

about helping our partners obtain the technical certifications needed to help their customers navigate this new environment . We know it isn ’ t easy for a partner to focus on their own business , while ensuring their customers ’ operations remain up and running . We therefore want to ensure that our partners are up to date on their certifications , to continue to be a trusted advisor to their customers .

We launched new sales and technical training certifications this year , free of charge and aligned with our new branding and latest products and solutions . For example , we now have Sales Associate Training and Technical Associate for Service Providers Training .

However , when it comes to partnering , we know one-size-doesn ’ t- fit-all . As mentioned earlier , we work with partners to understand their vertical expertise , their technical abilities and their strengths . We then formulate a joint business plan and establish KPIs so together we can best address customers ’ needs .

The channel is incredibly important to us and the pandemic has not affected our commitment nor our investment in the channel .

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