Dell: PartnerDirect Channel Changes on February 1?

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According to some trusted sources, Dell on February 1 is making some changes to its channel-focused Account Executive team. February 1, by the way, is the start of Dell’s next financial quarter/fiscal year.

The Feb. 1 changes will involve Account Executives having a greater focus on regional and national VARs, the sources say. So far, so good. But the potential downside: Starting Feb. 1, sources say, Dell Account Executives may have less time for smaller VARs. Bummer.

A Dell spokeswoman says the company can’t comment at the current time because Dell is in a quiet period. Dell is expected to announce quarterly earnings on February 18.

In the meantime, The VAR Guy is searching for answers.

Worth Noting

Generally speaking, Dell has earned some good marks from VARs since launching the PartnerDirect channel program in December 2007. But The VAR Guy must concede: He’s noticed some slowdown in Dell channel buzz lately. After a strong debut in 2008, the Dell Channel Blog has been strangely quiet since around October of 2009. Dell’s interaction with Managed Services Providers also has grown quiet. And channel expert Nancy Reynolds recently exited Dell to join Kaspersky Lab.

Perhaps The VAR Guy is overreacting to a few, isolated events. Back in November 2009, Dell Channel Chief Greg Davis sounded quite upbeat despite some mixed quarterly financial results. And Dell will provide some more perspectives after the Feb. 18 earnings release. In the meantime, The VAR Guy is searching for more clues about where PartnerDirect is heading next.