Katja Felgendreher, Paessler AG senior channel sales manager, APAC
1. Key channel plays for 2015
End users are being confronted with a rapid influx of new trends and technologies, such as Cloud, software-defined networking, big data, and the Internet of Things. This creates a major challenge for the channel in being able to provide customers with advice on how to maintain a realistic view of these new technologies within the market and the opportunities they bring. We see IT infrastructure monitoring as a central way to help customers with this significant task.
2. Key technology for 2015
The need for a solid network monitoring solution will continue to gain momentum, as time and resource-poor administrators and IT teams look for ways to achieve more visibility into the expanding number of applications and servers being run - in order to avoid downtime and its associated costs.
3. Key message to the channel for 2015
Above all, gaining your customer’s trust by selling them a solution they will love is paramount and this is reflected in the customer’s willingness to recommend the product. Key solution attributes should be usability and a fair price, as well as the provision of varied licensing options to ensure a quick sales cycle.
We also recommend channel players gain insight into their customer’s networks to drive new business, as well as to explore up/cross selling opportunities.
4. Key warning to the channel for 2015
When choosing a solution to sell, channel players shouldn’t simply look at short-term gains such as price and margin, instead they must keep customer needs front of mind and provide an easy-to-use solution with a comprehensive feature set, ultimately this will pay out in the long term.
Monitoring is something that is being requested by many customers as they realise how crucial it is to an organisation. Moreover, it is the type of solution that can be sold on top of almost every deal.
5. Key to Paessler AG’s success in 2015
We remain dedicated to monitoring and rapidly expanding our team in 2015, which will bring support for more devices and protocols than any other product through a wider approach.
Also key for us in 2015 is ensuring that the channel has a comprehensive but easy-to-use tool in PRTG to sell to customers and this year will see even greater co-operation with the channel as demand continues to grow.
