‘7 Minutes’ with Kevin Greenwood, Senior Director, Global Channels, Scale Computing

…required sales and sales-engineer training within three months of joining the program.

CP: Quick-hit answers: Percentage of sales through the channel, number of partners, average margin. Go.

KG: We sell 100 percent through the channel. We currently have 250 partners globally, and are aiming for 1,000 by end of year. While we can’t disclose our average margin, we can say that the Scale Partner Program conditions are focused on margin for our partners and flexibility to close business.

CP: Who are your main competitors, and what makes your offering better?

KG: VMware is our main competitor. What sets us apart is our affordable pricing and simplicity. Scale hyperconverged systems cost less because they include virtualization, are simpler to buy, consume and use over time than our competitors’. We also deliver all the same features as VMware, wrapped into a single platform, with no additional hardware or licensing.

CP: How do you think your technology portfolio will change in the next three years?

KG: Scale Computing is continuing to expand its product offerings based on customer and partner feedback to support tomorrow’s data-center needs. Over the next few years, you will see our platform change from disk-based to memory-based storage; different, new memory technologies will arrive at very attractive speeds and price points. Scale HC3 software is prepared to leverage memory-based technology thanks to its different (SCRIBE) based design.

While we are not losing sight of our bread-and-butter SMB focus, we will be expanding our portfolio to offer solutions to meet large enterprise needs as well.

CP: How do you expect your channel strategy to evolve over that time frame?

KG: We will continue to focus on increasing the size and quality of the Scale partner community by carefully following the market and technology landscape. We strongly believe in the strength of our community, and we will continue to adjust our program to the changing needs of the different types of partners – technology, resellers, MSPs, hybrids – and support them with their growth objectives and increase their profitability.

CP: What didn’t we ask that partners should know?

KG: How partners need to cope with change: Partners should listen carefully to their customers and their existing and new technology vendors about what is happening, now and in the future. Bring those worlds together from a business and technology point of view by helping them to make the necessary changes.