New Linius Channel Chief Focused on Partner Recruitment

Linius Technologies, a cloud platform that transforms static video into interactive intelligent content with its Video Virtualization Engine (VVE), is focused on rapid growth with a new global channel chief.

The company has appointed Stephen Pech to vice president of global channels and alliances. Based in Linius’ headquarters in Melbourne, Australia, he will drive and define the company’s growing channel program across North America, APAC and EMEA.

Linius has a partnership with IBM, and also is available on the IBM Cloud, Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services (AWS).

Linius’ Stephen Pech

Pech previously led Telstra‘s ICT channel distribution division, and held positions with Fujitsu Australia and Symantec. He most recently was TeamViewer’s director of APAC sales.

“With Linius now looking to rapidly expand its channel program and network, Stephen will ensure best practice enablement of new and existing partners across Linius’ core target markets, including corporate communications, news, education and sport,” said Chris Richardson, Linius’ CEO. “Stephen has delivered $100 million plus targets, led multichannel sales teams, developed over 1,000 partner channels and has co-founded a cloud business. He’s the right type of person to propel Linius to new heights by signing and supporting the right partners.”

In a Q&A with Channel Partners, Pech shares his take on Linius’ channel strategy and what he plans to accomplish in the coming months.

Channel Partners: Why did you want to take this role with Linius Technologies?

Stephen Pech: Linius is at an unbelievably exciting stage in its development in terms of product and partnerships. I’ve never seen technology with this type of genuinely disruptive potential before, period.

Linius’ VVE is the only solution in the world that can remove the container from static video files, exposing the actual video data. This enables that information to be analyzed and manipulated to unearth new insights and create custom video content on the fly. Considering that 80 percent of the world’s internet traffic is video-related, the implications for creating new business models and enabling big-data analytics is simply enormous.

Linius is set to transform multibillion-dollar markets via its dynamic video search, personalized advertising, security and defense, and anti-piracy solutions.

As for the channel, that’s how Linius is taking its capabilities global, now that initial proof-of-concepts (PoCs) and commercial deals have shown the potential — especially across the news media, sports, corporate communications and education markets. For example, in the United States, we’ve recently conducted successful PoCs with Oklahoma State University and education digital asset management platform, MediaAMP.

CP: How will your previous experience come into play in this new position?

SP: I have significant experience both growing channel programs from the ground up at remote-desktop sharing software vendor TeamViewer, and managing $100 million targets and multiple channel teams when working for Australian telco Telstra. Given Linius’ ability to scale fast through reseller, distributor and ISV partnerships, both experiences will be important.

CP: What’s your take on Linius Technologies’ current partner program and channel strategy? Do you have changes in mind?

SP: Linius’ strategy of scaling fast through developing its global network of partners is the right move. So I won’t be changing that approach; rather, I’ll ensure we attract and enable partners with best practice, product and marketing support throughout our core target markets of corporate communications, news, education and sport.

Partnering with highly skilled MSPs will be essential to ensure customer success and drive more …

… direct commercial deals in the short-and long-term future.

Even before commercialization, Linius had attracted investment from IBM, (and) proven its capabilities on Microsoft Azure and AWS. A company attracting this sort of attention at this early stage of commercialization is unheard of; it really speaks to the transformative nature of the technology.

CP: Have you received any feedback from partners yet? What are they telling you? What are they hoping you will achieve?

SP: Partners are excited. The feedback is that they can see immediate value for clients, especially those with large volumes of streaming or archived video assets.

Newsrooms and sports broadcasters can slash production costs by 80 percent while instantly delivering hyperpersonalized video content and one-to-one advertising to consumers. Production companies can eliminate piracy, and dramatically reduce infrastructure costs, by using virtual video files instead of distributing pirate-able copies of full video files across their networks.

The ability for large-scale disruption is honestly massive. And we’ll be shortly announcing some new channel partnerships because many resellers we’re speaking to also see the same opportunity.

CP: What are the biggest challenges facing Linius Technologies and its partners, and what will be your role in addressing them?

SP: The biggest challenge is that Linius’ patented video virtualization technology is a true world-first. We’ll need to support partners with the right tools and resources to enable them to clearly explain how Linius delivers unique value to current and future clients.

CP: What are your plans in terms of North America channel and sales expansion?

SP: The first near-term priority is to sign a technology and reseller partner that can deliver Linius’ cognitive video search solution to the U.S. education market. We’re on the cusp of an exciting announcement in that regard.

CP: What do you hope to have accomplished a year from now?

SP: A supported, successful and confident Linius partner ecosystem. Our plan is to have a number of evangelical and successful partners, sourcing, supporting and creating valuable solutions for customers across the United States, the EU and APAC. The same partners would have created new use cases on our platform, and will be helping make Linius a de facto standard.