The revised programme is a variation of the international one and incorporates three levels: two which are regionally based and have Silver and Gold status, and a national one with National Gold status.
Datatec Workgroup, with its recent acquisition of Lattice Technologies, now has sole responsibility for the Citrix channel in South Africa. Citrix is a growing brand name, demonstrating a 1 000% increase in purchases over the last eight months in South Africa alone.
Chris Norton, product marketing manager at Datatec Workgroup, explains that the regional programme allows resellers to sell regionally ie either in Gauteng, Kwa-Zulu Natal and the Cape.
The national programme, however, ensures that the reseller has coverage in each region and is a Gold partner at head office level.
"We have structured the programme in this way to ensure that there are sufficient skills in the channel from a sales and support perspective," Norton says.
Datatec Workgroup has three trained support engineers who provide e-mail-based support to Citrix Certified Administrators within certified dealers. Communication with the market will also be stepped up.
"We are setting up regional dealer evenings on a national basis as well as technical seminars once a quarter at which a senior Citrix system engineer from the UK or US will be present. We also plan to bring out senior people in marketing and sales to talk to local players in the market; these include Michael Wendl, GM for EMEA, and Dave Jones, director of sales worldwide."
National user groups will be established via an end user database which Datatec Workgroup will develop. The company has already appointed a dedicated Citrix product manager, Stanley Ichikowitz, who will be responsible for generating demand in the market, motivating dealers, controlling stock levels and launching promotions.
"With our new initiatives, we are trying to enhance Citrix`s presence in the market and make the products more accessible to people who buy into them," says Norton.
Systems Education, a Johannesburg-based training centre, has been appointed as a Citrix Authorised Learning Centre and its certified Citrix trainers are able to give Silvan Prometric tests which are necessary for industry recognised qualifications.
It will also expand the number of Citrix courses to include Citrix Winframe, Citrix Metaframe and advanced and end user Citrix courses.
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