Citrix Systems has expanded its Advisor Rewards programme with rebates for local partners who embed its XenServer virtualisation software with servers from companies such as Dell and HP.
Australia and New Zealand channel development manager Dean Vaughan says the company launched XenServer late last year.
“We’ve been pursuing a channel and asking partners to invest in training and selling. What we’re doing now is developing a second channel for original equipment manufacturers [OEM]. If you buy an HP or Dell server you can get XenServer, which is our server virtualisation software, preinstalled.”
Vaughan says there are a number of benefits.
“We needed to ensure that we deliver a return on investment for partners because if they go out there and do all the work and then in the last minute the customer says they will buy from Dell direct the partners wouldn’t be too happy. We also ensure our partners are highly motivated to sell XenServer over a competitors’ software.”
Offering the programme will also help avoid any channel conflict although Vaughan adds Citrix hasn’t had a problem with this.
“We believe we have a very healthy channel programme but we recognise that we can’t open a model without protecting and supporting our core channel. We just want to pre-empt so there isn’t any channel conflict.”
Vaughan says he will be planning to come over later this month to meet with partners and discuss the awards programme.
“I work closely with our distributor Express Data as they have a Citrix business development manager. New Zealand is an important market to us.”
Citrix recently conducted roadshows in Auckland and Wellington for its virtualisation technologies.
Vaughan says that later this quarter the company intends to go back to Auckland and Wellington to conduct free one day training for the virtualisation technology.
