Computer Associates (Africa) is to adopt a new channel strategy, pioneered successfully in the US by CA`s BrightStor storage solutions business unit, for its security products.
Carol-Ann Searra, channel manager for CA (Africa), says the local CA subsidiary is throwing its weight behind a new channel model, announced in April by CA president and CEO, Sanjay Kumar.
"Central to the new model is a sales strategy that compensates CA`s direct sales force equally for both direct and indirect sales," explains Searra.
"This has been a proven success in the storage market and now we are adding our eTrust security offerings and our security business unit into the programme," she says.
Adopting a new sales model carries some risk for CA, which was highlighted by Kumar, who said that "it has to work big. If we just sell a little bit more storage, then we lose."
According to Searra, CA, which opted to buck a trend among many of its competitors who were moving towards direct sales models, has achieved its goals for channel revenue for BrightStor, and now hopes to have the same success in the security arena.
"Our target is to grow CA`s security business at twice the rate of the overall security software industry`s growth in SA," says Searra, who adds that a major channel effort will be needed to achieve this goal, combining the resources of both partners and CA`s direct sales force.
"We are committed to getting our partners involved, on some level, with 100% of storage and security sales," she confirms.
Searra also endorsed Kumar`s revelation at the CA World conference in April that CA has "something impressive in the works for eTrust".
"We are looking at new releases that complement our new channel focus," she adds. "These will be released soon."
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