DataGravity, a company with the sole mission of helping businesses unlock the value of their data, is ramping up its channel partner program with the recent release of its flagship product, the DataGravity Discovery Series.
The DataGravity Discovery Series is a data-aware storage platform designed to track data access and analyze data as its stored, providing greater visibility, insight and value.
As a 100% channel-centric company, DataGravity first unveiled its partner program, called the DataGravity Partner Network, in February 2014. Since then, team members have been collaborating extensively with early access partners, according to John Joseph, Co-Founder and President of DataGravity.
“We bring partners into the company’s disclosure of the product and technology, and work with them to identify customers that would be great candidates for our programs,” Joseph said in an interview with Channel Marketer Report. The DataGravity Discovery Series will be generally available in October 2014.
Now, DataGravity is focusing on building its partner network and jointly marketing with them in the field. “We go to customers through VARs of various shapes, sizes and colors,” Joseph explained. “We’re looking for VARs that are keenly in tune with the storage buying cycle of mid-sized companies. Our ideal prospect is a company that has their storage is coming up to retirement or if they’re starting new projects in virtualization or a file sharing environment.”
To empower partners, DataGravity provides comprehensive support and resources, offering access to deal registrations, sales incentive programs, marketing and sales collateral to generate new sales opportunities. The company also has three tiers within its partner program — Registered, Preferred and Elite — based on a company’s overall engagement and loyalty to the DataGravity product and brand. Partners achieve Elite status by invitation only.
From a marketing perspective, DataGravity has implement a “package and push model,” according to Joseph. “We package marketing, give it to the partner, and they unpack and execute it in the field. We work with that partner to register opportunities and develop those opportunities for pipeline.”
Joseph explained that the DataGravity team collaborates intimately with partners on all opportunities. Although the VAR is the key “point of engagement” with the prospect or customer, a DataGravity team member will be on hand to help execute a field event with prospects, hold a presentation on the solution and then follow up on opportunities via phone and email. Based on the past revenue of partners, DataGravity offers co-op funds to drive future marketing initiatives.
Training also is paramount to help DataGravity build loyalty and evangelism for its product. DataGravity is in the process of building DataGravity University, which allows partners to “get educated at their own time and speed,” Joseph said. Using a modular educational approach, “we position our solution relative to a pain point and competitive offering so partners can sell on their own. If a partner decides they’d like some assistance selling, we have an overlay sales team regionally organized to parachute in and help sell to the customer.”