Cloud storage provider Carbonite made some noise in the channel in 2012, launching its next-generation reseller platform, adding network attached storage (NAS) and HIPAA-compliance support and snapping up database backup vendor Zmanda. In 2013, the company hopes those moves will help propel its channel base further. David Hauser, director, Channel Program at Carbonite, offers an update in a FastChat Video.
“2012 was a very exciting year for Carbonite and its reseller program,” said Hauser. “In 2013 there are a lot of things we are working on to help make our resellers’ lives easier to work with their clients.”
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Of particular note is the incorporation of Zmanda’s Amanda open source database backup and other solutions into Carbonite’s reseller platform, giving its partners a richer story to tell their customers. “Zmanda does a tremendous job of database backup … for Exchange, SQL, MySQL, Oracle and Sharepoint,” Hauser noted. “They have hundreds of years of development time that went into developing their product set so we are really excited about it.”Carbonite launched its reseller platform in June 2012, enabling partners to easily sell its three Home offerings (which, contrary to its name, is ideally suited for the SOHO and small-business space) and two Business offerings, as well as manage the customers they already have.
“As a result of new dashboard and the relaunch of the program we saw a 60 percent increase in the number of resellers we have, which is great news across the board,” Hauser said.
The company also beefed up its account management group, increasing it by a whopping 300 percent. “We try and strive to provide our resellers with the best experience in all facets, and one area is in account management. We are trying to make sure our resellers did have the best experience, to make sure when they speak with folks here that they get what they need to have.”
The new year will see Zmanda technology added to the reseller platform, as well as added functionality to its product offerings. Support for NAS and HIPAA compliance were the orders of the day in 2012; in 2013, Carbonite plans even more features and changes to its reseller platform based on partner feedback.
Also on tap for 2013 is a new technology the company calls Currents, a file syncing tool that “allows folks to sync and collaborate between different computers and between different individuals.” Currently in beta, Currents is yet another tool for Carbonite’s channel partners to offer their customers, Hauser said.
“Within our product base we have many different [customer bases] that resellers can sell into—consumers to SOHO customers to business customer—and we want to make sure resellers have the right tools necessary based on the customers they have,” Hauser said.
The company also continues to work with its resellers to give them better tools, he noted so Carbonite is working on improving and enhancing the tools it currently supplies.
“It’s going to be an exciting year for Carbonite and hopefully an exciting year for the value we provide our resellers and their customers,” Hauser said.
Resellers interested in learning more about Carbonite can check out the company’s reseller program on its Resellers Program page on its website, send an email or call the company at 877-391-4759.
