Zerto Revamps Partner Program to Address Partner Growth

Disaster recovery solutions provider Zerto announced today that is has made some significant changes and updates to its Zerto Alliance Partner (ZAP) Program. The updates have been put in place to better meet the needs of Zerto’s partner network since experiencing extreme growth; from 33 partners in 2012 to more than 1,500 reseller, cloud service provider (CSP) and system integrator partners today. Looking at more recent figures, Zerto has seen 50 percent year-over-year (YoY) growth in its partner network and 112 percent YoY growth in partner certifications. The program refresh, according to Zerto, is based directly on feedback they have received from partners as they’ve experienced this growth, and focuses on providing extra simplicity, an equal rewards approach regardless of partner type and a unique rewards-based training method Zerto calls "gamification." 

"The Zerto partner program is simple, far more simple than any other program we’ve been a part of -it just works," said Stephen Johnson, President, Corus360. "It’s easy to get to the Zerto team and resources that we need, which allows us to focus on designing and deploying DR solutions and services in the field. The new Zerto partner program changes the way we do business and enables us to be more successful in growing our data recovery and business continuity opportunities." 

"We see our partners as a true extension of our sales team, and it’s a crucial part of our mission to ensure they have a seamless, educational and superior experience as members of the ZAP Program," said Mariah West, Director of Partner Marketing, Zerto. "The new elements we’re announcing today continue to help us exceed these goals, offering partners a first-rate program that consistently recieves high marks from partners." 

Newly introduced and enhanced features of the ZAP program include: 

Unified Partners with Equal Rewards:

• The ZAP program allows Value Added Resellers (VARs), Systems Integrators and Cloud Service Providers to choose their business models and work under one unified partner program, simplifying training and incentive programs
• Unified program provides rewards for value, not just volume, offering benefits in lower volume markets to help partners build their business 

Exceptional Simplicity:

• Membership levels with clear requirements and rewards across sales, training and marketing agreements regardless of partner type
• Streamlined ZAP Portal providing comprehensive, round-the-clock access to sales, marketing and technical resources 

Next-Generation Training and Engagement:

• On-demand, online training at no cost that makes it easy for sales and technical professionals to achieve certification in hours versus days or weeks
• Focused engagement for next-generation channel partners, including gamification and rewards for completing deal registration, training and other goals
• Management tools available with the launch of Zerto Virtual Replication version 5.0, including:
  • A new mobile application for remote administration from anywhere
  • Role-based provisioning and management designed for cloud service providers 

Partners also have the ability to join a beta product program to deliver critical feedback on new software solutions during development. Recently recognized as one of the IT channel’s most effective CEOs, Ziv Kedem has driven Zerto’s relationship with its partners from the top.  

"Alongside our products, the partnerships we have forged with the channel, CSPs and technology providers are vital to the success and continued innovation for virtual replication and disaster recovery," said Kedem. "The ZAP Program gives us a way to rewards and support our partners around the globe to maximize their reach and ensure they provide the best data management and business continuity products and services to their customers." 

In early 2017, the new benefits of the program will also be extended to Zerto’s Technology Alliance Partners.

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About the Author

David Marshall is an industry recognized virtualization and cloud computing expert, a seven time recipient of the VMware vExpert distinction, and has been heavily involved in the industry for the past 16 years.  To help solve industry challenges, he co-founded and helped start several successful virtualization software companies such as ProTier, Surgient, Hyper9 and Vertiscale. He also spent a few years transforming desktop virtualization while at Virtual Bridges.

David is also a co-author of two very popular server virtualization books: "Advanced Server Virtualization: VMware and Microsoft Platforms in the Virtual Data Center" and "VMware ESX Essentials in the Virtual Data Center" and the Technical Editor on Wiley’s "Virtualization for Dummies" and "VMware VI3 for Dummies" books.  David also authored countless articles for a number of well known technical magazines, including: InfoWorld, Virtual-Strategy and TechTarget.  In 2004, he founded the oldest independent virtualization and cloud computing news site, VMblog.com, which he still operates today.

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