Emulex was just named the Converged Network Adapter Brand Leader for the third year in a row by IT Brand Pulse™. Earlier in the year, Emulex’s OneConnect™ Universal Converged Network Adapters (UCNAs) received the 2011 XChange XCellence Award in the category of “Breakthrough Technology Vendor.”

So, it’s no surprise that over the last quarter, we’ve seen a substantial percentage increase in the amount of 10GbE Network Interface Cards (NICs) sold; but the biggest surprise is the DRASTIC sales percentage jump we’ve seen in iSCSI adapters.

It’s obvious the 10Gb Ethernet NIC and CNA markets are growing, but we want to hear from you. Tell us what you think about the future of FCoE vs iSCSI deployments. What’s driving iSCSI CNAs in the marketplace? What are you seeing, and what are you selling?

To participate in this conversation join the Emulex Connect Partner LinkedIn Group now or, if you’re already a member, comment here. We’d love to hear from you!

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Everyone loves to hear when prices drop on the latest and greatest technology. And guess what? We’ve lowered the pricing on our award winning Emulex® OneConnect 10Gb Ethernet (10GbE) Network Interface Cards (NICs) by 10-15 percent. So now you can get the market-leading NIC… with the most 10GbE ports shipped and the preferred technology choice of 9 out of the 10 largest OEMs…at an even more attractive price.

To sweeten the opportunity even more, we’ve also got some outstanding promotions running this quarter. For example, you can get the first three NICs you sell to any new end user for 50% off, and you can get up to $650 dollars off when selling our Emulex® One Connect NICs or Converged Network Adapters (CNAs) with Cisco Nexus Switches.

Make sure and contact one of our Emulex Sales Reps now at InsideSales@emulex.com and ask about the latest and greatest promos. We don’t want you to miss out on the savings!

Happy Selling,
Shawn Pattock

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My name is Marc Nagao, I’d like to introduce myself as the latest member of the Emulex Channel team. I have been in the industry for over a decade and a half. Boy, time flies, right? My hat rack includes hats in product management, product marketing, channel marketing and marketing communications. I’ll be blogging here with our resident Channel blogger, Shawn Pattock, on topics such as new product releases, events, programs and promotions. I look forward to engaging with you!

Today, I am going to discuss the new enhancements that we recently announced to the OneConnect™ 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE) Universal Converged Network Adapter (UNCA) family and what they mean to you and your customers.

In the true spirit of continuous improvement, these enhancements include support for iSCSI over Data Center Bridging (or DCB) and Universal Multi-Channel (yep, UMC) technology. These are two new huge convergence and virtualization improvements to the already-capable OneConnect 10GbE UCNA product line.

But what does this mean to you and for your customers? Let me boil it down in a couple of bullets:

• iSCSI over DCB: iSCSI over a converged, lossless network providing enterprise-class performance.
• UMC: Ability to partition each 10GbE port into four unique functions that be allocated to individual virtual machines or dedicated to virtual machine migration.

What is DCB? Data Center Bridging encompasses a set of IEEE standards that enable storage networking over Ethernet, often referred to as lossless Ethernet. This includes something called Priority-based Flow Control (PFC) that affords the ability to have lossless, consistent, reliable storage I/O while sharing the same network with other IP traffic, regardless of LAN traffic conditions. When combined with iSCSI hardware offload, versus traditional software offload, the end result is better CPU efficiency and better network performance, resulting in an improved user experience.

What is UMC? Universal Multi-Channel allows multiple PCI functions to be created on each adapter port. Bandwidth can be allocated to multiple NIC functions as well as iSCSI or Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) functions. UMC is compatible with any 10GbE switch and is transparent to operating systems. I know you are thinking, “What, bandwidth allocation?” You betcha – specified as a percent of total bandwidth all the way to 10Gb. Think of the flexibility and management possibilities. It is here folks. Your customers will enjoy knowing that their networking backbone is reliable and enterprise-class fast.

Check out the press release for more highlights on what benefits your customers gain from the enhancements we’ve made to Emulex OneConnect UCNAs.

Your friends here at Emulex will continue to be your resource for information on 10GbE connectivity and converged networking. We are proud to have you as a trusted partner and we value your relationship. If you have a question or would like to hear more, drop us a comment here or you can email us directly at reseller@emulex.com.

That’s it for this time. Have fun and happy selling!

Marc

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Last week was a fantastic one for Emulex. Our channel team was in downtown Denver for a full week of festivities and events around CRN’s XChange Americas conference. The team did a ton of planning and preparation, so by the time we kicked off the events a week ago, we were chomping at the bit to get started.

On Tuesday, we debuted our 10Gb Ethernet (10GbE) Summit with over 40 resellers and service providers in attendance. We spent day one discussing 10GbE market opportunities in general, including valuable 10GbE solutions discussions with partners LSI and Nexenta. Day two featured a discussion around 10GbE cloud selling strategies, an overview of Emulex OneConnect products and an outline of the CRN 5 Star Award-winning Connect Partner Program before sitting down to an engaging set of roundtables, where I think our new friends and Emulex learned a little (a lot!) about each other. I can tell you it was personally very helpful hearing from channel partners firsthand as to what helps them be successful and how Emulex can help them gain that success.

We ended our two days with a send-off from John Alfieri, vice president of sales, thanking our soon-to-be 40 newest Connect partners. And just as quickly as it started, the 10Gb Summit was over. Our group was off to begin their CRN XChange schedule.

But before you knew it, we had to get ready for XChange Americas ourselves…we were setting up our booth in the Solutions Pavilion of the Denver Convention Center and having one-on-one meetings with even more resellers. There was a packed schedule of events set for the week, and we had close to 300 resellers and service providers in town to soak it all up.

Day one ended that night after several hours talking to countless partners about Emulex 10GbE and other solutions, the Connect Partner Program and what’s coming next. We awoke to find that several of our Emulex team had gotten our “action shots” into XChange Daily Newsletter. Judi Uttal, Jeff Johnson, Howard Lo and I all had our faces in light as they graced the event newsletter’s pages.

The Emulex team had accomplished so much in such a short period of time: It was now just Wednesday! Now it was time for our boardroom session with a few dozen folks. Ever try to explain your company, a market opportunity, your products AND a reseller program in 20 minutes? We somehow managed and enjoyed every minute of it. I think our friends did too. At the end of another week in a hotel room, we packed up and went home, our first annual 10GbE Summit and the XChange events a success.

While I am sure everyone enjoys the fun of digging out of a week-deep e-mail hole, my morning turned decidedly better seeing that Emulex was voted XChange Americas’ Best Breakthrough Technology Vendor by the attendees. Thanks to all, especially the resellers we spoke to, who made the week so good.

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It’s no secret that the 10Gb Ethernet (10GbE) market is taking off as the data center ecosystem continues to evolve. This is especially true among the core of networking, storage and service providers. The market opportunity for the channel is also significant and for this reason, we are kicking off our first Emulex 10GbE Summit in tandem with the XChange Americas Conference in Denver. The Emulex 10GbE Summit will be held August 9-10 in Denver at the Hyatt Regional/Denver Convention Center with more than 30 attendees. CRN XChange is from August 10 – 13.

We have some great presentations and roundtables planned for the 10GbE Summit and XChange. If you’re going to XChange and are a solution provider or VAR, we welcome you to join us at the Summit, or we hope to see you at XChange (we’re in booth #310).

Here’s a sneak peek at what we’re planning:

• The Market Opportunity for 10GbE: There will be several sessions on day one focused on the opportunities for VARs selling Emulex 10GbE solutions, 10GbE cloud solution selling strategies, and several new opportunities with partners Nextenta and LSI.
• Emulex 10GbE Solutions, Roadmap and Go to Market: Day two will feature several sessions on our 10GbE product portfolio, competitive differentiators, updates on the Emulex Connect Partner Program and Connect+ designation, sales cycle incentives and training.
• XChange breakout session, iPads and demonstrations: Once the 10GbE Summit concludes, we’ll be at XChange in booth #310, raffling off an iPad, and participating in a boardroom session on Thursday at 2 pm. We hope you join us!

If you’re going to XChange, we hope to see you there. To contact us to learn more about Emulex or to hook up at the show, email reseller@emulex.com. And don’t forget to follow us @Emulex on Twitter for updates, pictures and more from the show.

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If you haven’t yet had a chance to check out our new Implementer’s Lab, you’re missing out. Mark Jones, Director of Technical Marketing, described it on the inaugural post of his new Implementer’s Lab blog as “a place where we will discuss how to use our products from your perspective… with tools to show you how to use Emulex products as an element of a bigger application solution.”

Implementer’s Lab Benefits for Channel Partners

The Implementer’s Lab hosts a variety of resources from technical how-to guides for download to interactive webinars, blogs and videos. Mark Jones affirmed in his blog that all of the materials presented by the Implementer’s Lab “have been confirmed by our engineers, on the accurate steps to take using the latest versions of software available to us at the time of writing.”

How-To guides – The Solution Implementer Series:

• Educate and sell to the technical end user with these relevant and highly technical resources.
• Take a solution-oriented sales approach with OEM-specific sales enablement tools.
• Learn practical steps for deploying emerging solutions, including virtualization.

OEM Solution Sales Sheets:

• View an “at-a-glance” list of benefits for specific OEM solutions.
• Download our first example: Deploying 8Gb/s Fibre Channel with HP c-Class BladeSystem and ESX 4.1.

Implementer’s Lab blog by Emulex engineers:

• Stay apprised of the most timely I/O topics.
• Interact with the Emulex technical marketing team and other technical I/O professionals.

Videos and live and recorded webcasts:

• Watch on-demand technical training and education for OEM-specific and solution-specific technologies at the time that’s right for you.

Accessing the Implementer’s Lab

You can access the lab any time from the bottom of the Emulex.com home page, or from inside of the Emulex Connect Partner Program Sales and Technical tools tabs. You’ll also want to bookmark the Implementer’s Lab Blog and subscribe through your reader.

You can download a sample of the kinds of resources you’ll find on the Implementer’s Lab here: Deploying 8Gb/s Fibre Channel with HP c-Class BladeSystem and ESX 4.1. According to the Emulex Labs Blog, “The goal of this first Solution Implementers Guide is to assist those who will deploy for the first time an HP c-Class BladeSystem blade server with 8Gb/s Fibre Channel.”

So keep checking back because the team is working hard on their next guide on IBM System x servers, VMware vSphere and 8Gb/s Fibre Channel connectivity.

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Since launching the new channel partner program last month, one aspect of the program I hear the most questions about is Project Registration. It’s a touchy subject. Whenever I read blogs or forums about how vendors can better serve their partners, discussions around project registration come up. I thought it would be a good idea project to shed a little light on how Emulex runs project registration in light of the controversies surrounding this type of program.

What’s the difference between project registration and deal registration?

We’ve set up our program to aid and reward your sales efforts from the very beginning of the sales cycle and all the way through to the end.

1. Register a project when you’ve discovered a potential opportunity, so Emulex can help you understand and pitch why Emulex is the best choice….and get a reward for telling us about the deal.
2. Register a deal when you’re locking in the sale and need to quote….and get margin enhancing special pricing.
3. Register a SPIF after the sale closes….and collect your rewards for closing Emulex business

How can we be trusted with end-user information?

To answer this question, I sat down with one of our Inside Sales reps, Crystal Potter. Crystal is one of the Emulex Sales representatives who receives end-user information when a project is registered.

“First of all, Emulex doesn’t sell direct. When a reseller registers a project with us and trusts us with their end-user information, we never call that customer directly without the express permission of the VAR partner. That’s not the way we work.” I told her about the many blogs and forum discussions I’d come across where I read stories of end-users’ information being dumped into general marketing databases or, even worse, being given to a competing VAR. “Emulex works hard to be a solid channel partner, which means building trust with the VAR community, this is why we use tools like project registration to ensure the integrity of our interactions with VARs.”

So how does project registration help you?

When you register a project, not only do you rack up voucher points for gift cards from a variety of vendors, you are also entered to win a fantastic vacation package. But there’s a lot more to it. Crystal summed it up best, “When you register your project with us, you become a valuable and supported member of our sales force.” In other words, Crystal and all of these sales resources are at your disposal:

1. Demo and proof of concept units: Crystal and her fellow sales team members can help to deploy the equipment you need that will help you close the deal.
2. Conference calls & webinars with Emulex technical experts: Crystal has had several great experiences with our partners when they include her or our technical experts on calls with their prospects.
3. A sales advocate in your corner: When you reach out to us by registering a project at the very beginning of the sales cycle, you have our help and support all the way through to the close of the deal.

Register your projects and win

We’ll handle your end-user data with integrity and make your success a top priority. That’s how our project registration works!

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That was the question Howard Lo, Director of Channel Marketing, asked over and over at XChange Solution Provider in Orlando, Florida last month. And over and over we heard the same answer, “Fibre Channel HBAs.” While of course, Emulex is still going strong in Fibre Channel, Howard took the opportunity to playfully admonish our new friends at XChange by exclaiming:

“No! Haven’t you heard? Emulex is a networking company!” while holding up a 10-Gig NIC display.

A New Partner Program For A New Kind Of Partner

This is the reason we launched a brand new partner program last month. We launched this new program to help us build strategic relationships with a whole new category of resellers. The new partners we’re connecting with as a result of this launch may not have thought we were relevant to their business before. They knew us as the enterprise storage company focused on Fibre Channel. But anyone who attended XChange Solution Provider last month knows now that Emulex is a networking company focused on 10-Gbit Ethernet NIC business.

Off To A Winning Start

So far it’s been an amazing first month. We’ve already certified over 100 Emulex Experts who have completed sales or technical tracks of our new Emulex Expert Training program. We have 175+ new program members and are actively equipping them with sales tools like our new iCompete mobile app, easy access to demo cards, training and of course, generous deal registration discounts SPIFs. On top of everything, our new program won CRN’s 5-Star distinction in their 2011 Partner Program Guide.

Entry Level Benefits That Make It Worth Your Time From Day One

Because we really wanted to get it right, we spent a lot of time with our ear to the ground before building our new program. One of the biggest problems partners report is that vendors will let you in the front door, and then leave you hanging. There are usually very few benefits for the lowest tier and it’s a steep climb to even reach the next level. Some of our direct competitors don’t even offer SPIFs to their entry-level tier. We’ve been offering discounts and SPIFs to our Authorized partners for some time, but we’ve decided to pile on even more benefits. In addition, we’ve created some very simple mechanisms by which partners can reach higher tiers or achieve our new distinction: Connect+.

Transcending Tiers – The New Connect+ Distinction

Another way we offer increased benefits and opportunity is through our new Connect+ distinction. We want qualified partners of any tier level who focus their business on selling value-added, end-to-end networking solutions to get a new kind of VIP treatment including deeper discounts, premier placement on our website and targeted support.

Have You Joined Yet?

We’re getting ready to launch some great incentives for completing trainings, participating in Project Registration and more. Be sure you’re on board as we continue to launch our new program features. We look forward to meeting you and growing together. And, if you have joined, we’d love to hear your feedback. What’s working? What do you want more of?

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