Brocade Significantly Boosts Channel Partner Profitability with New Services and Support Programs

"Channel-centric" Approach Delivers High Value and Recurring Revenue to Partners, While Enabling Deeper Levels of Customer Engagement. End Quote

(1888PressRelease) September 15, 2010 - DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - Brocade® (Nasdaq: BRCD) today announced significant enhancements to the Brocade Alliance Partner Network (APN) Professional Services Partner (PSP) and Support Delivery Partner (SDP) programs. The newly augmented PSP program will enable partners to retain all potential revenue generated from the sale of professional services offerings. In addition, the enhanced SDP program will transition to a value-based model on a pay-for-performance scale.

Developed to increase partner profitability by supporting partners in the selling and delivery of professional services and support services for Brocade networking solutions - from design to deployment - these new programs will enable partners to broaden the scope of their offerings to provide differentiated, highly specialized services to their customers.

Professional Services Partner Program
The increased demand for IT-as-a-service - coupled with the growing emphasis on the network as the critical component for the secure, reliable and efficient transport of data - has given rise to services- and solutions-led sales at all levels within the channel. Brocade is focused on helping partners deliver these types of services across a wide range of areas, including IP network infrastructure; data protection, migration and security; and data center virtualization. The newly augmented PSP program will enable partners to retain revenue generated from the sale of professional services offerings to their specific accounts. The PSP program is open to all APN partners of Elite or Premier status who fulfill a set of program requirements that include completion of standard industry certifications and compliance with onsite audits. Under this new program structure, partners will be able to participate in a comprehensive professional services delivery program that presents a compelling value proposition to derive incremental revenue, while establishing themselves as trusted advisors to their customers.

As part of the newly augmented PSP program, Brocade has also implemented key program elements designed to enable partners to effectively sell and deliver professional services solutions. Benefits such as wider access to remote labs, a dedicated team of engineers to provide technical direction with professional service implementations and step-by-step instruction from Brocade subject matter experts (SME) are available to qualified PSP partners at no cost. Brocade has introduced these program updates to provide a comprehensive program infrastructure to better enable partners throughout the professional services selling cycle and beyond.

Support Delivery Partner Program
Designed to help partners deliver scalable support services for IP products, the SDP program enhancements provide a way for partners to increase market differentiation and deepen their customer relationships. To ensure that program resources are appropriately distributed, Brocade will select qualified APN partners to participate in the SDP program on an invitation-only basis. In addition, to better reward partners who consistently deliver top-quality support services with high customer satisfaction ratings, the revamped program has transitioned to a value-based model with simplified discount and rebate calculations that operate on a pay-for-performance scale.

"In today's environment, customers do not tolerate down-time - they want services that are non-stop," commented Dr. Willibald Späth, CEO at euromicron AG. "We are proud to be a Brocade SDP partner as it underpins our commitment to delivering reliable services to customers and enables us to play a more strategic role in their businesses, thereby helping our team deliver more value. Furthermore, the additional support from Brocade in terms of training helps us achieve an advantage in a highly competitive market."

In addition to the unique benefits associated with each program, qualified PSP and SDP program participants will receive access to Brocade tools and resources to help them promote and sell these offerings. The benefits include dedicated promotion in the new Global Partner Locator, use of special logos and graphics on partner sites and free certification courseware. Coupled with the new core elements of the PSP and SDP programs, these tools will provide a comprehensive package that partners can leverage at every stage of the selling cycle.

"In a world where the technology and business paradigms are constantly shifting, partners will greatly benefit from offering vendor-backed support and services solutions - often as a supplement to their own support and services," said Ken Presti, principal analyst, Presti Research. "Not only can these offerings help to bolster their bottom line, they also benefit in a number of other ways, including prioritized access to certification and training programs, marketing materials and cross-promotion opportunities."

As more end customers recognize the business benefits and associated challenges of virtualization, cloud computing and convergence, they are increasingly asking channel partners to provide networking expertise and professional services that address these challenges. Leveraging extensive Brocade expertise in delivering enterprise-class services and support offerings, the new PSP and enhanced SDP programs will help partners drive higher levels of customer engagement and extend their reach into new accounts.

"The Brocade APN program derives its strength from its core philosophy of 'Return on Partnership.' We are constantly looking for ways to provide greater levels of profitability to partners and the new enhancements to the PSP and SDP programs reflect this principle," said Amanda Giddins, EMEA channel director, Brocade. "As customers begin to migrate towards highly virtualized, services-on-demand computing environments, resellers are increasingly focused on services-led selling. Working with Brocade, partners are prepared and well equipped to deliver valuable support and professional services solutions, and will establish themselves as the trusted advisor in the process."

The first phase of the updated PSP and SDP programs will roll out in late October 2010, with the bulk of partner recruitment occurring later in the year. Interested partners may contact europechannel ( @ ) brocade dot com or visit the MyBrocade partner portal for more information dot

The Brocade APN program includes four distinct partnership levels: Distributor, Elite, Premier and Select. All levels have been designed with specific requirements and benefits to help partners leverage and be rewarded for their networking product knowledge and solution support expertise. As part of this partner-enablement strategy, Brocade will provide its partners with deal registration to help ensure project success and investment protection. In addition, Brocade has extensively expanded its dedicated sales, marketing and technical support offerings to help ensure profitable partnership engagement.

About Brocade
Brocade® (Nasdaq: BRCD) develops extraordinary networking solutions that enable today's complex, data-intensive businesses to optimize information connectivity and maximize the business value of their data.

Brocade, the B-wing symbol, BigIron, DCFM, DCX, Fabric OS, FastIron, IronView, NetIron, SAN Health, ServerIron, TurboIron, and Wingspan are registered trademarks, and Brocade Assurance, Brocade NET Health, Brocade One, Extraordinary Networks, MyBrocade, and VCS are trademarks of Brocade Communications Systems, Inc., in the United States and/or in other countries. Other brands, products, or service names mentioned are or may be trademarks or service marks of their respective owners.

© 2010 Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Contact
Ali Ahmar
Regional Sales Manager - MENA
Brocade
GSM: +971 50 1810630

Media Contact:
Colin Saldanha
Procre8
Dubai - UAE
GSM: +971 (50) 6400762

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