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Dot Hill Systems, which develops storage solutions, has bolstered its Connections Partner Program. The enhancements specifically target VARs that are seeking to promote enterprise-class storage solutions into the SMB market, according to Brad Painter, VP of worldwide channel sales at Dot Hill.

In a FastChat Video, Painter described how Dot Hill has been expanding its partner program beyond OEM agreements. Indeed, the storage company increasingly works with SMB and mid-market VARs:

During a recent meeting in New York, Painter said Dot Hill’s Gold Partners will receive sales, marketing and business development support. The Gold-level partners don’t have to spend heavily to join the partner program. Instead, Dot Hill is calling on the Gold Partners to participate in longer-term sales and business development commitments.

Also in recent weeks, Dot Hill has been updating its distribution strategy — working with new partners like Info X. Dot Hill increasingly wants to work with specialty distributors that focus like a laser on the storage market. Prime targets include distributors that previously worked with Sun’s storage business. The reason: When Oracle acquired Sun Microsystems, Oracle began to cut back on Sun’s distributor relationships, potentially opening the door for Dot Hill to fill market voids.

For most of its history, Dot Hill has worked behind the scenes, providing OEM storage technology to strategic partners like Hewlett-Packard. While Dot Hill’s OEM commitments remain in place, the company has spent 2011 building a channel brand that more directly engages VARs and channel partners.