ENTERPRISE TECHNOLOGY also have a stable team that is taking the solutions to market . As Veeam is a 100 % channel organisation , we work closely with our channel partners and alliances to drive our strategy to our end-users .
What would you cite as the biggest achievement for Veeam and its reseller partners on the continent in the last 24 months and what can the channel expect going forward ?
Perseverance from our channel through a very difficult time when many organisations were inwardly focused . Continued drive to ensure our customers were aware of the importance of having a modern data protection strategy as part of their Digital Transformation strategy , which was a major focus for customers during the pandemic . It has been important for customers to realise the critical nature of planning an ‘ effective ’ strategy for data management as an integral part of their transformational journey – the cybersecurity threats that have emerged are for the most part preying on companies and organisations that have not modernised their backup strategy .
Our solutions innovation that we bring to the market is what differentiates our offerings on the continent .
What are some of the channel initiatives and end-user schemes Veeam is implementing in Africa to spearhead the growth of its technology and solutions offerings ?
Our competency programmes that drive our go-to-market strategy support partners to increase their profitability when driving our all-encompassing solutions , at the same time driving the appropriate behaviour and ensuring they are enabled and understand the solutions they are selling to their customers . Veeam is also very good at offering various incentive programmes to the channel on a quarterly basis to support all these selling initiatives .
One of the biggest challenges that vendors playing in the backup , Disaster Recovery and modern data protection solutions space face is how to help channel partners to unlock value in this segment . How is Veeam aiding channel partners to unlock value in this market segment in Africa ?
As mentioned , our competency programmes are there to support our partners in driving our various solutions to customers which includes supporting their enablement and education focus . Veeam is always looking at mechanisms that enable and support the vision . Our focus over the coming quarters is squarely on the enablement side to support the channel more effectively . In addition to this , solution-based certification ensures that partners can differentiate themselves and that they can deliver accredited services to customers whose interests are protected in the process .
Does Veeam have a channel partner programme or ecosystem of partnerships that it is working with to empower solution providers and data scientists / specialists at the enterprise level ?
Veeam has a strong focus on enablement and is serious about ensuring that our channel has the latest and most up-todate information to support its selling and technical needs in the industry . It ’ s also not easy to pass our instructor-led training and for a good reason . We want to ensure that our partners fully understand our solutions and that they take our training and solutions seriously . The various channel programmes we run focus a great deal on skills creation and enablement . The channel extends the sales force , it is important that they have access to the knowledge and understanding that comes with skill . The VMCE and particularly VMCA , accreditations are difficult to achieve but are valuable skills , and as the saying goes – ‘ straight roads don ’ t make for skilled drivers ’.
What are some of the biggest stumbling blocks channel partners and enterprises in Africa face when developing comprehensive backup and Disaster Recovery plans ?
Many partners are used to selling traditional backup solutions and their mindset towards selling solutions like Veeam needs to change as we are focused on a modern approach to hybrid data management . In people ’ s minds , protecting your data is like having insurance .
INTELLIGENT TECH CHANNELS Issue 45 21