Veeam has been enjoying a period of sustained growth and sees even more opportunities for partners in the months ahead. We spoke to Alex Walsh, Manager of Channels and Alliances, UK and Ireland at Veeam about the past year and the company’s immediate future plans.
Q: Veeam has seen good growth in the past year – what is that down to?
A: Veeam has been a 100% channel-focused company since day one, so we could not have had this level of success without our partners. From a wider perspective, a lot of it is down to the three core values that we adopted last year – agility, discipline, and fighting spirit. We have really embraced these core values across the team and tried to carry that into our partners as well.
One thing we do well is showing agility in the way we support partners with online training and responsiveness. We’ve made it a point of pride to make sure that we get back to people quickly and with discipline – to make sure that things are not left undone. I think we have been quite sharp on that.
We announced 16 major releases in 2020 and most recently Veeam Backup & Replication™ v11 which includes CDP (Continuous Data Protection), which is a major feature our partners had been requesting. Yes, we’ve had some great growth in 2020 and I expect that will continue in 2021.
Q: You recently named TD SYNNEX as your Distributor of the Year. What role have they played in your success?
A: We’ve worked with TD SYNNEX for many years, and I think that our partnership is probably firing better than ever. Our reseller partners are receiving the best levels of service from both Veeam and TD SYNNEX. It’s a very honest conversation when we speak with TD SYNNEX. They are an extension of our team and are always a crucial part of the conversation around our plans for the year. We have a large number of resellers, all of whom have different requirements, and we trust TD SYNNEX to provide them with the support and expertise that they need.
The Veeam Data Protection Trends Report 2021 showed that 58% of backups fail, leaving data unprotected, while over three-quarters of UK businesses have an “availability gap” between how fast they can recover applications versus how fast they need to recover them
Q: Are businesses becoming more conscious about backup during the pandemic?
A: Certainly. Data management was a priority for businesses before, but the pandemic forced them to review business continuity plans and ensure that systems and data are accessible and protected as employees work from home. Companies have to make sure that their brand and reputation are maintained. The Veeam Data Protection Trends Report 2021 showed that 58% of backups fail, leaving data unprotected, while over three-quarters of UK businesses have an “availability gap” between how fast they can recover applications versus how fast they need to recover them. Businesses are much more aware of the importance of making data available, and with so many organisations now moving to the cloud, backup is becoming more important. They need to make sure those systems are secure and fit for purpose.
Q: How much of the success is down to Veeam putting a strong focus on hybrid cloud?
A: Hybrid cloud has been around for some time, but demand has certainly increased over the past year. If you look at the proportion of companies that were using BaaS [Backup as a Service], it was probably around 20% in 2019. Last year that was up to 33% and according to our Veeam Data Protection Report 2021, in the next couple of years that’s expected to be up to 50%. We’ve also been working with public cloud providers to make sure customers can use those services and we’ll be doing more work there. It’s an evolution for Veeam, so partners can feel confident about working with us and leveraging the growing market adoption of subscription licensing.
Q: What really makes a partnership work for you as a vendor?
A: We work honestly with our partners. We understand that partners are there to make a profit and to add value for the [end-user] customer. Where we try to be a little bit unique is in supporting partners by being available, making sure the content we deliver is correct, making sure the solution is correct for the customer, and that we are not over-selling. We prioritise competencies and recognise the strengths of each partner, and adapt our support to their individual needs.
Veeam Universal Licensing (VUL) will provide big opportunities for partners to increase their subscription licensing business in 2021
Q: What’s the future direction for Veeam? Where do you see the opportunities for growth?
A: We recently acquired Kasten, which specialises in Kubernetes backup. Expect to see a lot more from Veeam in that area. While we continue to have a strong focus on SMB, we have been steadily growing our enterprise business and expect this to accelerate. We are working with customers to help them transition to subscription-based services, and Veeam Universal Licensing (VUL) will provide big opportunities for partners to increase their subscription licensing business in 2021.
With the release of CDP as part of v11, we are starting to move further into Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) and there will be huge opportunities for resellers and service providers here as well. We are starting to see a real ecosystem of partners working together as we move more into the cloud market.
Q: How can TD SYNNEX help partners in taking those opportunities?
A: One of the great things TD SYNNEX has done over the past year is Software Store. This provides a self-service capability on a lot of smaller quotes, which frees the TD SYNNEX team to help partners with more complex requirements and provide product demonstrations and technical support. Partners need a trusted pair of hands and TD SYNNEX really differentiates in providing that higher level of service to partners.
We would not have become the company we are if we did not have that fighting spirit and I think that’s a key component of what we do every day. We try to make every partner feel valued
Q: How important has it been to have that ‘fighting spirit’ over the past year? Will that continue to be important?
A: I think having fighting spirit is important. Not necessarily just in terms of fighting for every deal, but also in being motivated to get up every day and do the job well, speak to customers, and keep a level head while you are doing that. I think one of the things about working with Veeam is the honesty part, but also knowing that while it can be challenging, we are still providing that support to partners, that we are still there to have those conversations and to find solutions together. We would not have become the company we are if we did not have that fighting spirit and I think that’s a key component of what we do every day. We try to make every partner feel valued.
Read more of our latest Cloud news stories
