VARs and Agents: How Are The Partnerships Working?

Channel Partners is doing important work focused on the growing importance of VARs in the channel.

Just recently, Editor-in-Chief Khali Henderson posted an excellent story on the tension between the “Super VAR" paradigm and the practical difficulties of actually negotiating business model transformation. A few days later, Channel Partners also posted an interesting slide show on how leading master agents view VARs as indirect sales partners. Look for more of powerful coverage of this subject in the next few days, and throughout the year.

It is commonplace to divide the channel into agent and VAR segments, and oppose the two sectors to one another. It is a useful generalization that corresponds to the broad history of the development of the channel. But it also distorts thinking in that it too often creates the perception of some kind of zero-sum game, where anything done by one must be at the expense of the other.

In fact, the generalization tends to mask the importance of partnerships, not just in the future but in the present.

Channel Partners is doing research in the subject of partnerships involving VARs. Please take a few minutes, and help us by taking a short survey here before the end of business Friday, Feb. 3. Your participation will help Channel Partners frame the discussion around this critical business issue.  And Channel Partners will greatly appreciate your help.

Larry Lannon is group publisher of VIRGO ’s Communications Network, which includes Billing & OSS World , Channel Partners and V2M .