BMC to wrap ‘efficiencies’ around local partner program

It is one of two initiatives BMC will implement in the channel this year and into 2009.

Speaking to CRN, recently appointed country manager for A/NZ, Gary Mitchell, said BMC would run two one-day workshops initially with a view to potentially rolling them out across other cities in Australia and New Zealand.

“I think the IT market is in for some fairly challenging times,” Mitchell told CRN.

“What the partner ecosystem and vendors we work with are going to have to do [to get through it] is to tighten up their joint value proposition.

“We’re about to conduct workshops with our partners so we can be really clear on what each party is trying to achieve from the relationship - what are the ground rules between us internally in terms of our focus areas, so we can make sure together we can make two plus two equal five,” he said.

Mitchell said the workshops were a reaction to his desire ‘to drive efficiency in everything we do’. More than part of this focus and drive comes from Mitchell’s previous lives at Enterasys and CA, where he honed his partner skills.

“We were a 100 percent partner model at Enterasys and that was an interesting challenge,” said Mitchell.

“When you’ve got 4-5 percent market share and you’re battling against Cisco you have to be very focused in picking your battles. If you try to win everything you quickly run out of money.

“You have to pick a couple of sweet spots and focus areas. That’s how I honed a lot of efficiencies in the partner model.”

Mitchell all but ruled out a review of BMC’s partner program, saying he was happy with it. His drive is to make it more 'efficient', he said.

Separately, Mitchell also revealed that the vendor would look to court more local outsourcers and systems integrators in 2009.

“I think there’s a lot of untapped potential out there,” said Mitchell.

“We do a very good job in working with the large multinationals but haven’t focused as much as we should have on the homegrown firms.”

BMC is also hitting the new customer acquisition trail – particularly in new verticals such as the government sector. It would continue to service its primary base in financial services and telcos as well, added Mitchell.