HP and Axcient Empower 200 Storage MSPs in the SMB Market

A few weeks after launching an SMB storage partnership, Hewlett-Packard and Axcient say they’ve signed up roughly 200 managed services providers (MSPs) that now generate nearly $500,000 in combined annual recurring revenues. That revelation surfaced earlier today at the HP Americas Partner Conference in Las Vegas, where managed services discussions are far louder this year when compared to the 2010 event. Here’s the update.

During a briefing today, Meaghan Kelly (VP, channel strategy & SMB, Hewlett-Packard) and Justin Moore (CEO, Axcient) described how the HP and Axcient relationship developed. Kelly leads HP’s Startup and VC Council, which involves building close relationships with entrepreneurs across Silicon Valley. About a year ago, several sources identified Moore as an ideal target member for the council. Around the same time, Moore was looking to standardize Axcient’s storage and cloud backup technology on a single, scalable hardware architecture. Moore ultimately chose HP for the engagement.

Fast forward to February 2011, when HP and Axcient announced a closer ongoing relationship. So far, Axcient has recruited roughly 200 HP channel partners to leverage the company’s cloud storage solution. A service provider licensing model allowed HP’s VARs to embrace Axcient’s offering without any up-front costs. Moore says those HP channel partners are now generating nearly $500,000 in combined annual recurring revenues.

What’s next? Watch for HP to promote Axcient on HP’s SMB Central, a free web site that offers HP channel partners guidance for business development. Also, it sounds like HP and Axcient will spend some time together at upcoming distributor conferences.

No doubt, the cloud storage and online backup markets are fiercely competitive and very crowded. But Moore believes Axcient can differentiate by (A) promoting a pure channel strategy (B) and focusing on a home-grown, scalable storage platform rather than piecing together multiple third-party options.

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