The channel has always been important to Juniper Networks – since our inception in the late 1990s we have sold many of our solutions through distribution and re-sale. Our partners help us to scale, provide value-added services and interact with a broad spectrum of customers at a local and granular level. Today, it gives me great pleasure to share some exciting news from Canalys, the world-renowned technology channel analyst firm.
The results of the Canalys EMEA Channel Leadership Matrix 2020 were released week commencing 14 December – and Juniper is placed in the Champions quadrant – the highest possible, which is a significant shift up from last year’s Contenders status! The full report can be seen here, at no charge, no registration.
According to Canalys, Champions status recognizes those vendors demonstrating the highest levels of channel management. Given this year’s unique circumstances, Canalys has also taken into account each vendor’s ability to support its partners’ most urgent needs through the pandemic crisis (including financial packages, regular communication, scaled-up account management relationships, etc.) to ensure that the partners’ customers have also remained fully supported with mission-critical secure neworking solutions throughout this year.
How does Canalys reach its conclusions for this Leadership Matrix?
Firstly, it undertakes a detailed assessment of the programs and initiatives each vendor has delivered over the past 12 months, the results that have been achieved, plus forthcoming plans to continue the evolution of these activities into the coming year (the ‘momentum’ axis of the matrix). Secondly, partners across the region are invited to take part in a benchmark survey, providing independent, objective feedback on vendors’ performance (the ‘rating’ axis of the matrix). Partners can also provide ongoing feedback via Candefero, the Canalys IT channel community’
I am proud to say that Juniper received our strongest benchmark ratings for effective account management, accreditation and specialization programs and the quality of technical support for channel partners. Canalys feels that 2020 was a ‘pivotal year’ for Juniper’s EMEA channel activities, calling out our increased investments (notably the Enterprise Plus program and its commitment of enhanced training marketing for subscribed partners who are showing enterprise business growth) and the market traction many partners are achieving with our AI-driven enterprise strategy and solutions, driven by the Mist portfolio.
I think many would agree with me that 2020 was an extremely challenging year for most people and organizations. Therefore, it is so satisfying to know that the hard, focused work Juniper’s channel team has put in has made a positive difference. Our channel partners across the EMEA region are also a huge part of why we have been successful – it is truly a team effort.
I wouldn’t dare to predict what 2021 holds for us all – but I do know that we are already prepared to deliver another strong business opportunity for our partners!
