Kroll Ontrack package reaches ANZ

Data recovery provider hopes benefits will attract more resellers

By Simon Eskow, Auckland | Tuesday, 31 May 2011
Information Management and data recovery provider Kroll Ontrack launched a reseller programme in Australia and New Zealand this month, one of the last regions to have it implemented.

But the company sees the Data Recovery Certified Partner Programme, which provides sales and promotional incentives to partners that receive the certification, as a way to attract new resellers in New Zealand.

“The great thing being one of the last regions to roll it out is we are seeing the benefits of what is going on in the US and Europe at the moment,” says Adrian Briscoe, the company’s APAC GM. “It has certainly gained momentum in those regions and hopefully it will do the same here.”

Kroll Ontrack technology has been around for a decade and according to the company is used by such vendors as EMC and StorageCraft. The company goes through the channel, selling its recovery software products for Exchange and SharePoint through Soft Solutions and its data recovery services through the 40 to 50 Computer Troubleshooter franchisee resellers in New Zealand, a base upon which the company hopes to expand.

“Part of the programme’s intent is to attract new resellers,” says Briscoe. “With data recovery it is all about trying to educate people and we want to get our message out to as many people as possible.”

To receive certification under the programme, existing or new partner organisations must register and complete four of five online courses, which cover topics such as selling DR as a service, DR in virtual environments and data management solutions for Exchange and SharePoint recovery.

“What we are putting out there is information on how to handle data loss situations and how to educate clients to make sure they don’t compromise the chance of getting their data back,” Briscoe says. “We’ll keep adding information so they will be kept abreast of new information that we have.”

Organisations completing the programme receive access to the Kroll Ontrack Partner Resource Centre, a certificate of completion and point-of-sale collateral. Certified partner organisations referring or reselling data recovery services can receive special promotions and software discounts.

The company has been on a regional push recently. It signed on with Soft Solutions in November and recently hired Marcel Mascunan as the APAC marketing programmes manager to increase brand awareness and manage partner and alliance marketing, along with the company’s insidesales teams.