CloudByte helped kick off VMworld 2013 with the type of announcement we really like to see. The vendor, which specializes in guaranteeing quality of service (QoS) to every application from a shared storage platform, unveiled a new channel program at the annual VMware (VMW) partner and customer event.

With the introduction of the channel partner program for VARs, system integrators, hardware manufacturers and IT solution vendors, CloudByte is aiming to drive its ElastiStor storage software through the channel, enabling partners to “build leading-edge storage solutions.” The software allow customers to move applications to shared storage and cloud environments with guaranteed performance and simplified management at, according to the company, a fraction of the cost of competing offerings.

The technology is currently being demonstrated in VMworld’s New Innovator Pavilion, where it’s likely solution providers of various types will get an up close and personal look at the technology.

“We are now offering our channel partners a rewarding program and are looking forward to sharing our resources and expertise with them in order to expand their presence in the respective markets and support their customers,” said Greg Goelz, CloudByte CEO, in a prepared statement. “CloudByte is providing a software solution, which coupled with the hardware of choice, the expertise and connections of the channel is very appealing to enterprise customers, offering the flexibility and scale they need without giving up performance and high-end enterprise features.”

The partner program is being launched with two levels — Preferred and Premier. CloudByte promises to provide many of the typical benefits of a partner program, including qualified sales lead generation and lead distribution, joint marketing and sales, sales training, access to dedicated sales reps, deal registration, referral fees for non-reseller partners, access to a partner website with tools and case studies, and ongoing web-based and on-site training.

With CloudByte’s ElastiStore product, the company’s channel partners should be able to build out cloud storage offerings built on VMware vSphere, Citrix XenServer, Citrix CloudPlatform and OpenStack, giving them a variety of options for virtualization and cloud technologies.