The VAR Guy

Dell Global Channel Chief Greg Davis is calling in reinforcements to help strengthen Dell’s enterprise partner initiatives. Specifically, Dell has hired Nancy Reynolds — a well-known channel veteran — to lead Dell’s global channel business strategy for PartnerDirect, focusing on Dell’s large enterprise channel business.

Previously Reynolds was:

• Vice President, Global Channel Sales at Palo Alto Networks;
• Vice President, North American Channel and SMB Sales and Marketing at Trend Micro; and
• Vice President, North American Channel Sales at Novell.

Reynolds’ move comes at a critical time for Dell. During the company’s fiscal Q1, Dell’s large enterprise revenue dropped 31 percent to $3.4 billion.

Clues and Comments

During a meeting June 26 at Dell’s headquarters, Davis offered The VAR Guy an update on the PC giant’s channel strategy. The meeting took place before Dell announced Reynolds was joining the company.

Among the highlights, Davis noted:

• Standardized Channel: Dell’s effort to build a standardized global partner program has proceeded well in the US, Canada and Western Europe. But Davis conceded that Dell was “a little behind” on the standardization process in Japan and Australia. He expected those regions to catch up sometime in July.
• ProManage Efforts: Dell will continue to push the ProManage brand in new directions. Already, Dell offers ProManage Managed Services in North America. And after The VAR Guy’s meeting with Davis, Dell expanded ProManage Managed Services into Europe. Watch for additional ProManage moves.
• EqualLogic: Davis says Dell has more than doubled the number of partners selling and certified on the EqualLogic storage offering since acquiring EqualLogic in November 2007. “It’s the cornerstone of our enterprise architecture,” said Davis. No doubt, EqualLogic was a Q1 bright spot, with revenue up 71 percent, according to Dell’s earnings release.
• Windows 7: “Anytime you have an operating system upgrade or transition, the channel has a big opportunity to help customers through that migration.”
• Priorities: Dell is seeking to nearly double its certified partners ranks. Today, the company has roughly 1,500 certified partners worldwide. The goal is to take it to 2,500 fully certified partners this year, notes Davis.
• Financing: Dell has been taking a close look at Cisco’s financing program for VARs and channel partners. Stay tuned. Sounds like Davis is mulling some new channel financing strategies.

Here’s Nancy

No comes word that Dell has hired Nancy Reynolds to “lead global channel business strategy for PartnerDirect, focusing on Dell’s large enterprise channel business.”

In a prepared statement, Davis said:

“We are delighted to have Nancy Reynolds join our team. Her experience and knowledge will be invaluable to our team, and will help expand our channel business in the enterprise market. As with her other roles, Reynolds’ leadership will help build a solid partner eco-system that will expand Dell’s channel presence and meet our partners and their customers’ needs.”

The VAR Guy hopes to speak with Reynolds soon for her perspectives.

Side note: Reynolds had a rather short stint at Palo Alto Networks. The VAR Guy has reached out to Palo Alto Networks to see if a replacement has been named.

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