'7 Minutes' With HYCU VP of Channels Junelle Swan

**Editor’s Note: “7 Minutes” is a feature where we ask channel executives from startups – or companies that may be new to the Channel Partners audience – a series of quick questions about their businesses and channel programs.**

Enterprise software company HYCU has unveiled an enhanced partner program that aims to reward channel partners for selling its data-protection services.

The changes to the program are designed to work more closely with partners to acquire new customers and drive account penetration with HYCU data protection and IT monitoring for Nutanix. To support the new program, HYCU will work with partners to focus on HYCU’s new and established partner and industry sector sales accounts, and the newly expanded public sector customer base.

In March, Comtrade Software declared operational independence from Comtrade Group with the new name HYCU and embarked on a global expansion.

“Based on feedback from our channel-partner community, we’ve created a simple and financially rewarding channel-partner program that aligns with our partners’ needs and will enable them to be more profitable selling our portfolio,” said Junelle Swan, HYCU’s vice president of channels.

HYCU’s Junelle Swan

Under Swan’s leadership, the HYCU partner program will focus on maintaining and strategically growing its existing global partner community. The program will deliver a new partner experience that will include a new partner portal, co-branded marketing tools and campaign support, along with a simplified deal-registration process.

“Channel partners focused on the IT business needs of small-to-large enterprises are always on the lookout for data protection technology solutions that are secure, simple to manage and work seamlessly within a hyperconverged infrastructure,” said Scott Zahl, Ingram Micro‘s executive director of global partner engagement. “With a growing data-protection portfolio, HYCU is investing in the success of its channel partners and working in conjunction with Ingram Micro to build and accelerate its success within the channel.”

In a Q&A with Channel Partners, Swan talks about what her company has to offer partners, and how it tries to stay one step ahead of its competitors.

Channel Partners: Tell us what customers love about your product or service. What’s the secret selling sauce?

Junelle Swan: It’s our fundamental belief there is a better way to create, deploy and manage data protection, especially for Nutanix enterprise cloud customers. That’s why we worked collaboratively with Nutanix to deliver the industry’s first purpose-built backup and recovery software for Nutanix partners and their customers looking for a cost-effective and efficient solution. We feel the simplicity which companies look to from their Nutanix solutions should be enhanced by backup and recovery, not hindered. Things like one-click recovery, seeing into virtual machines (VMs) and being truly application-aware along with being hypervisor-agnostic are additional features we believe should be part of any truly purpose-built data protection solution for hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) users. Since we introduced HYCU for Nutanix about a year ago, the reception has been outstanding, and we’re working with partners in more than 27 countries. When we introduced HYCU for Nutanix, we were one of the first to support the Nutanix AHV.

Since then, we’ve added support for both ESXi along with non-Nutanix workloads. There’s no secret to why we’ve been successful; we’re …

… 100 percent channel-focused and we have the right combination of great technology and experience with the right go-to-market strategy.

CP: Describe your channel program — metal levels, heavy on certifications, open or selective, unique features? Do you work with masters and/or distributors?

JS: If I had to describe our global partner program, I would describe it in two words: simple and easy. It’s very similar to the approach we have taken with our product offerings. The new global partner program has two primary partner levels – authorized and premier. Authorized is intended for new partners as they are building their business with HYCU. At the authorized level, partners qualify for deal registration and standard partner margin discount. We provide enablement tools and marketing resources via our newly launched partner portal. In addition, partners receive software for internal use and inclusion in our upcoming partner locator. The premier partner level is intended for partners that commit to $50,000 of HYCU products and support revenue annually. This level not only provides all of the benefits received by authorized partners, but also includes a higher margin benefit for deal registration and ability to apply for joint marketing funds.

We are also announcing a global solution provider level for partners that have a global presence. As I mentioned, we are 100 percent partner-focused. We work through distribution partners to provide value-added services and support for HYCU partners.

CP: Quick-hit answers: Percentage of sales through the channel, number of partners, average margin. Go.

JS: 100 percent channel, more than 150 partners, up to 30 points of margin opportunity.

CP: Who are your main competitors, and what makes your offering better?

JS: The emergence of hyperconverged infrastructure has meant there is a need to change the way companies approach backup and recovery. It’s no longer good enough to consolidate storage, servers and networks onto one platform to achieve simplicity while at the same time adding another backup infrastructure to support the consolidation. We understand that first and foremost, data protection should not break a company’s HCI efforts. So while we compete against many of the legacy backup and recovery solutions from companies like Commvault and Veritas, we also compete against the new breed of secondary storage offerings from companies like Cohesity and Rubrik. For us, we look to enhance the data-protection capabilities that are native to a Nutanix solution and be complementary to what customers need. We want to extend and enhance vs. provide similar or the same functionality.

Many of the secondary storage providers are looking to be platforms in and of themselves. To us, that is pushing simplicity aside and creating unnecessary redundancy and cost. We have a fundamentally different approach and we remain committed to providing the best solution without introducing more complexity to a customer’s environment.

CP: How do you think your technology portfolio will change in the next three years?

JS: We have been tightly aligned to …

… the Nutanix innovation road map.

Beyond supporting AHV, we were first to offer backup and recovery support for the Nutanix AFS (Acropolis File Services) and will look to broaden our support for customers and partners looking to take advantage of all the Nutanix enterprise cloud has to offer.

CP: How do you expect your channel strategy to evolve over that time frame?

JS: We will continue to align our channel strategy to our technology offerings as well as to continue to evolve our program to provide more value for partners that are driving HYCU technology solutions. Additionally, we will be intentional in driving a strategic global channel strategy while accommodating for regional needs and customization.

CP: What didn’t we ask that partners should know?

JS: As partners are evaluating new product offerings, they look for a technology that is relevant and compelling for their customers. HYCU is the only purpose-built backup and recovery solution for Nutanix. The entire HYCU organization is committed to our partners’ success. We are also committed to being easy to do business with while providing predictability and profitability for our partners.