EMC Data Domain DD160 Exclusively Through Channel

EMC Corporation announced the availability of the new EMC Data Domain DD160 deduplication storage system exclusively through the channel; enhancements to the channel-only EMC VNXe unified storage technologies; and new programs for Velocity partners that are designed to drive market expansion.

Effective immediately, the DD160 will be sold through EMC’s Velocity Solution Provider Partners or Authorized Resellers. Starting at $10,000 USD, the DD160 offers Data Domain system efficiency and scale to small enterprise data centers and remote offices.

The EMC VNXe now provides:

• More efficiency with new support of 100 GB flash drives on the VNXe3300, and new DC-powered models of the VNXe3300 that are certified to meet NEBS Level 3 requirements.
• More simplicity for Microsoft environments with a new EMC Storage Integrator for application-aware storage provisioning for Windows and SharePoint. Additionally, EMC is enabling companies to scale as business needs grow by adding memory to the VNXe3100, which now offers 8 GB of system memory per controller.  

New Programs for Velocity Partners:

• VNXe ‘Try & Buy’ Program enables qualified partners to deliver VNXe products to customers at no risk and no cost for 45 days. The program enables them to experience the advantages of automated, application-ready storage with solution-focused software that allows them to manage, provision, and protect their information.
• VNXe ‘Quick Ship’ Program helps partners accelerate time-to-delivery with six pre-configured VNXe solutions to ship globally within two days after order placement. Each configuration includes the base operating software and VNXe Unisphere, iSCSI, CIFA, NFS, file deduplication, snapshots, thin provisioning, and the VNXe Total Protection Suite.
• ‘U Sell U Earn’ Training Incentive Program provides partners selling training services with the opportunity to earn free VNX readiness training for themselves. This offers partners a way to differentiate themselves in the marketplace and increase profitability. 

This announcement follows a string of channel-related accolades, including the VNXe winning the CRN Technology Innovator Award for Storage, and in August 2011, CRN naming EMC ‘Company of the Year’ in  three ARC award  categories – SMB Network Storage, Enterprise Network Storage, and Backup & Recovery Software. This was EMC’s first-ever inclusion and recognition in the SMB Network Storage category, a direct result of the January launch of the VNXe and channel-centric go-to-market strategy for it.

John Hardwick, President, nXio, LLC, said: "nXio believes that the products, technologies and services of big business should be available to the independent business owner, so we’re pleased that EMC is enabling partners who sell to non-enterprise customers to address the SMB unified storage demand with their industry-leading and award-winning VNXe technology. Since the VNXe was announced earlier this year, we’ve received a lot of positive feedback from our customers. Not only has EMC provided us with innovative, industry-leading technology, they’ve also made it easier than ever for us as a partner to get trained on the product, decreasing ramp up investment and time to profit."

Howard Goldberg, Vice President of the North American Storage Practice for Arrow Enterprise Computing Solutions, a business segment of Arrow Electronics Inc., said: "Next-generation backup and recovery products present an opportunity for solution providers to expand their offering to current and future accounts. Mid-market customers in particular are seeking backup redesign support similar to Data Domain high-end systems for large enterprises. EMC solution providers are now armed with an industry-leading backup and recovery product line at competitive price points that make sense for mid-market companies."

Fred Kohout, Vice President, EMC Global Channel Marketing, said: "The best just got better. EMC has the best partners in the industry, and we are committed to finding new ways to enable them to take more market share and increase profitability with industry-leading products, programs and enterprise-class support. By designating the EMC DD160 and VNXe as channel-led products, EMC is working with its partner community to open up new market opportunities."

The Data Domain DD160, VNXe and Velocity program enhancements are available worldwide.