virsto partner program guide.fy11

PARTNER PROGRAM GUIDE, FY 2011

A World Class partner program designed to deliver value to our customers and new business opportunities for our partners

Email: [email protected] Web: www.virsto.com Phone: 408.533.0209

Virsto Software, Inc. 219 Moffett Park Drive Sunnyvale, CA 94089 USA Phone: 408.533.0209

Welcome!

Dear Virsto Partner:

On behalf of the Virsto Software team, we would like to welcome you to the Virsto partner program. Virsto Software believes that our partners are the key to our success and this program is a symbol of our commitment to you. The complete solutions that partners provide around our technology play a significant role in our company’s growth and solidify our leadership status in the emerging storage virtualization market. The Virsto partner program is guided by the following core principles:

1. Develop and market innovative solutions that create value for customers 2. Drive increased revenue and market opportunities for our partners 3. Accelerate the development of our partners expertise and skill sets 4. Deliver extensive sales training, marketing tools and support resources 5. Simply…be easy to do business with!

This partner program guide is intended to outline the foundation of our program; providing details on the benefits and requirements to participate in the Virsto partner program as well as the opportunities that it affords. Should you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact the Virsto Partner sales team at email alias ‘[email protected]’

We appreciate your interest in our program and look forward to a mutually successful business relationship that benefits our customers, your company and Virsto Software, Inc.

Sincerely,

Virsto Partner Sales Team

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.virsto.com/



Statement of Disclosure

This document is not a contractual agreement between any person, company, vendor, or third party and Virsto Software, Inc.

This document is provided for informational purposes only and the information herein is subjected to change without notice from Virsto Software. Virsto Software does not provide any warranties covering this information and specifically disclaims any liability in connection with this document. Virsto Software reserves the right to administer the Virsto partner program in its discretion. The benefits and requirements of any partnership with Virsto will be documented in definitive agreements separate from this document and the content of this guide is qualified in its entirety by those agreements.





Introduction

The company background: Born around the understanding that to fulfill its promise, virtual computing required new virtual storage architecture, Virsto Software chose to base its business around a pure software model that enhances customers’ existing investments in storage hardware. CEO Mark Davis pulled together a team of seasoned professionals with deep experience in both virtual computing and storage, and the company’s executive team boasts DNA from VMware, Citrix, Veritas/Symantec, Data Domain, and Sun Microsystems, among others.

The basics: Virsto was founded in 2007, and is backed by top tier venture capital firms Canaan Partners and August Capital. Virsto is based in the heart of Silicon Valley – Sunnyvale, California – with satellite development operations in Minsk, Belarus and Melbourne, Australia.

The product: The Virsto virtual storage architecture is hypervisor-agnostic, and our objective is to provide the ideal storage virtualization solution for all major type 1 hypervisor platforms. Our architecture was designed specifically to handle the very random, very write intensive environments typical in virtual computing – both server and desktop – with a scalable model that cost effectively deploys at the low end while at the same time being able to support large scale cloud computing environments.

The target market: Virsto Software provides enterprise-grade storage management for virtualized data center solutions. The target market includes internal cloud and cloud datacenters ranging in size from a handful of servers to thousands, across all vertical industries, in all geographies.

The sales model: As an emerging organization, Virsto leverages an ecosystem of partners. Reseller partners are a true extension of our sales organization, providing lead follow up, sales cycle management, professional services and support. Virsto sales managers are expected to support the efforts of reseller partners and our compensation model reflects that.

The strategic partnerships: Virsto is fortunate to work closely with the leading virtualization vendors including Microsoft, Citrix and VMware. Virsto is a Microsoft System Center Alliance and BizSpark One partner; a VMware Premier Technology Alliance Partner and a Citrix Ready partner.





Reseller Partner Profile

Virsto Software is an enterprise-grade storage management system specifically designed for the virtualization use case. Our customer base ranges from small & medium sized organizations to the largest of large enterprises. Customers have deployed Virsto Software solutions in environments ranging from highly virtualized, cloud scale, data centers to small two node cluster projects. And Virsto’s value proposition of increasing IO performance while reducing the storage costs has been proven out in multiple virtualization use cases including; server consolidation, virtual desktop initiatives and private cloud projects. Needless to say, a Virsto reseller partner is expected to have a deep understanding of virtualization use cases and the expertise to consult customers of all size and vertical markets.

Virsto reseller partner’s profile: Virsto authorized reseller partners have a services-centric business model with the ability to establish themselves as a trusted advisor to our customers. Virsto reseller partners are focused on providing deep technical expertise on a limited number of virtualization and adjacent solutions. Expertise in data storage architecture is critical and the ability to offer a professional services engagement to assess the storage capacity required for a virtualization project is key to achieving success. The ideal Virsto reseller partner recognizes that baking Virsto into their up-front professional services offerings, (ex. a Virtualization jumpstart or POC), gives them an advantage over their competition.

Virsto reseller partner’s certification profile: Virsto authorized reseller partners hold technical certifications in the leading virtualization solutions. Microsoft Gold partners with a competency in Microsoft Core Infrastructure solutions such as System Center, Operations Manager, Virtual Machine Manager, Windows Server 2008, Hyper-V, Opalis, as well as desktop virtualization solutions such as Remote Desktop Services, App-V and Med-V. Citrix partners who are participating in the V-Alliance are of particular interest to Virsto as they have deep expertise in virtual desktop environments. Citrix XenDesktop running on Microsoft Hyper-V is a typical VDI environment that Virsto’s value proposition is strong. Citrix Platinum and Gold level partners with a specific focus on professional services are ideal for Virsto. Virsto reseller partners that are interested in applying the Virsto solution to VMware environments should be authorized partners with VIP Premier or Enterprise level status.

Above all, a Virsto authorized reseller is a technical expert with the ability to objectively evaluate and recommend the most cost effective infrastructure solutions for our customers.





Virsto Reseller Program Criteria

Virsto reseller program is focused on developing partners who can deliver value-add to our customers. The more value-added a partner delivers during the sales cycle, the greater the compensation. As a partnership grows and the investment and revenue attainment increases, so does the compensation and investment from Virsto into the partners business. Examples of criteria to achieve higher levels of compensation include:

Technical competency: Install, configure, and support the Virsto solution. Marketing initiatives: Promote and create demand for the Virsto solution Sales Performance: Meet or exceed revenue targets consistently

Virsto Partner Program Levels: Virsto is a strategic solution for any virtualization services practice. Adding it to a line card removes hurdles that typically block virtualization projects. The ability to add a storage virtualization strategy to a services practice will be critical in the era of cloud computing. We strongly believe that Virsto will provide a competitive advantage, making our partner’s uniquely qualified to win in the years to come.

There are two levels of the Virsto partner program. Virsto Enterprise Partner (VEP) and Virsto Corporate Partner (VCP). Partners in both levels meet minimum criteria of sales and technical certifications. Once the minimum is met, a reseller may choose which level is right for them depending on the level of investment that they would like to make and the level of benefits that they would like to achieve.

Basics:

VEP: The highest level of investment and as partnership. Has achieved the highest level of technical competency and receives the highest level of discount for resale to existing customers and Virsto provided leads.

VCP: Has invested in the Virsto solution, has met the minimum criteria of sales & technical competency and receives a standard discount for reselling the Virsto solution to their customers.





VEP: Virsto Enterprise Partner Requirements

Virsto Enterprise Partner, (VEP): commits to making Virsto a core competency and strategic weapon in the battle for new virtualization project wins. Part of this commitment is achieving a level of product knowledge that separates this partner from the others. Additionally, as a strategic solution within their line card, Virsto is positioned as a required part of proposed virtualization architectures. In other words, Virsto is baked into POCs, professional service offerings and jumpstarts, as well as internal sales training and lead follow up. A VEP recognizes that Virsto enhances any virtualization architecture, and by leading with it they reduce the storage portion of the project while providing superior performance and end user experience. The following are requirements to become a VEP:

VEP Requirements Description Application Approval Virsto evaluates and approves VEP partnerships Partner Agreement Fully executed partnership agreement Program Requirement License Partner purchases a license for internal demo use Internal demo/ briefing center Partner maintains an internal install for use and training Technical Certification (3) Three technical engineers complete technical certification Sales Certification (2) Two sales representatives complete sales / value certification Technical Support Offering Partner offers a Support offering for Virsto licenses Training Offering Partner offers a training course on Virsto Software Professional Services Offering Virsto is included into virtualization services offerings Marketing event (2) per quarter Virsto is included in at least two marketing events per quarter

Program Required License purchase is at the VEP level of discount, approximate investment is $2,000 US.

Technical certification is web based. An investment of approximately 2 to 3 hours online with Virsto Partner Sales team resources.

Sales certification is web based. An investment of approximately 1 to 2 hours online with Virsto Partner Sales team resources

Demo / briefing installation: VEP partners are required to maintain an installation of Virsto in their environment for testing, evaluation, training and demo purposes

VEP partners are required to include Virsto into a professional services offering on virtualization.

Marketing events are reviewed and approved by Virsto





VCP: Virsto Corporate Partner Requirements Virsto Corporate Partner, (VCP): meets the minimum criteria to resell Virsto and identify Virsto as a core competency in their virtualization practice. A Virsto VCP recognizes that Virsto software solutions enhance any virtualization architecture, reducing storage costs and while providing superior performance and end user experience. The following are requirements to become a VCP:

VEP Requirements Description Application Approval Virsto evaluates and approves partnerships Partner Agreement Fully executed partnership agreement Program Requirement License Partner purchases a license for internal demo use Internal demo/ briefing center Partner maintains an internal install for use and training Technical Certification (1) One technical engineers complete technical certification Sales Certification (2) Two sales representatives complete sales / value certification Marketing event (2) per quarter Virsto is included in at least two marketing events per quarter

Program Required License purchase is at the VCP level of discount, approximate investment is $2,000 US.

Technical certification is web based. An investment of approximately 2 to 3 hours online with Virsto Partner Sales team resources.

Sales certification is web based. An investment of approximately 1 to 2 hours online with Virsto Partner Sales team resources

Demo / briefing installation: VCP partners are required to maintain an installation of Virsto in their environment for testing, evaluation, training and demo purposes

Marketing events are reviewed and approved by Virsto





Benefits & Requirements Matrix:

Program Requirements & Benefits VCP VEP

Core Requirements

Sales Training Required (2) Required (2) Technical Training Required (1) Required (3) Internal License Required (1) Required (1) Briefing center Required Required Core Benefits

Onboarding Process License Discount Highest Technical Support Pre & post-sales support Community Support resources Partner Empowerment Benefits

Opportunity Registration (ORB) n/a Lead Sharing n/a NFR License Program n/a Access to promotions & Incentives n/a Demand creation programs n/a Marketing templates & Logos Partner Support Benefits

Assigned partner manager n/a Assigned sales engineer resource n/a Marketing Contacts n/a Technical Support Benefits

Knowledge Base access Product & Technical Documentation Community Support resources Technical Support





Becoming a Virsto Reseller Partner

Partner Onboarding process: Virsto is committed to providing reseller partners with the support and tools that they need to succeed in the storage virtualization market. Virsto partner sales team employs an efficient Partner Onboarding Process designed to minimize the partner’s investment of time and resources while maximizing the knowledge transfer. The POP program consists of (3) web-based sessions focusing on the following:

Company, Solution, Market Opportunity, Competitors Technical Review Value Proposition

Technical Training: Once a partner has completed the POP process, they will determine their program level and then complete web-based training on the technical aspects of the Virsto solution.

Sales Training: Web based sales training session follows the technical sessions to certify the partner on the value proposition. A significant portion of this training focuses on the ability to assess storage requirements for virtualization projects.

Completion of the POP, technical and sales sessions assumes the partner is ready to resell Virsto!

Going to Market together

A VEP partner will take advantage of two important benefits: Lead-Sharing and Opportunity Registration (ORB).

Lead-sharing: When a VEP partner is provided a lead they can then prosecute the opportunity with or without Virsto Sales team’s support. In this scenario, they will use their standard VEP discount.

Opportunity Registration Bonus, (ORB): When a VEP partner finds an opportunity on their own; they have the ability to submit a request to receive an ORB of additional discount. When the ORB is approved by Virsto it provides the additional discount for the existing quarter. After the end of the quarter, the partner can reapply for the ORB on the account.





Partner forecast / pipeline: VEP partners are expected to share pipeline information with their assigned Virsto partner sales team member.

Partner business plan: VEP and VCP partners are expected to provide their assigned Virsto partner sales team member with a proposed business plan each half of year.

Partner Program Renewal: Program levels are good for a 1-year term and can be renewed by working with the Virsto partner sales team.

Virsto Reseller Partner Program Contacts: Please contact the Virsto partner sales team to establish your organization as a leader in the Storage Virtualization market. If you would like to get started, please contact:

Email: [email protected] Phone: 408-533-0209 Corporate headquarters: 219 Moffett Park Drive, Sunnyvale, CA 94089, USA Web: www.virsto.com Evaluation Trial License: http://virsto.com/try Mike Mersch, Director of Partner Sales, 510.387.5871, [email protected] , skype: merschvirsto





http://virsto.com/try


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