Channel Satisfaction Survey 2014: 'VMware' channel's favorite again for virtualization

Like the last couple of years, virtualization remains one of the hottest contested areas for both channel partners as well as vendors alike. Virtualization, is something that is being chased by every principal as it is the cloud enabler though a few seem to have now established their stranglehold in the market.

Although VMware emerged as the channel's favorite again, followed by Citrix (again like last year), Microsoft has emerged as a name to reckon with in the channel horizon. Considered as the strongest player in virtualization, VMware carries the legacy of both product quality as well as marketing support, service reliability, convenience in installation and adaptation, scalability of the solution and the security aspects of the product. The company's clarity in pricing, contract and promptness in communications about schemes and channel enablement programs have helped VMware to score the lead over Citrix and Microsoft.

The channel partners particularly lauded VMware's Technological leadership of the products, as well as its conformance to specifications and even its efforts to have dedicated personnel for maintaining relationship. The last was achieved thanks to VMware's NDN program that helped the company in channelizing its marketing team with the channel partners where the company interacted with each of the partners on a one-to-one basis rather than addressing a bulk.

While Citrix had successfully toppled Microsoft to become second last year, it managed status quo with its online support and commercial terms particularly interesting the respondents. Furthermore, Citrix scored the second highest in scalability of the solution and geographical reach although respondents opined that it needs to rethink on advertising and ad-support for its partners. Even on training and certification programs for channel partners, Citrix seems to have lost out to VMware thereby putting off its hopes to gain #1 position to rest.

Microsoft regained some grounds lost last year thanks to itsmarked improvements on a number of parameters under after sales support as well as online support.

Interestingly, IBM fared well in the after-sales support front and also outshone the leader with its credit policy and commercial terms but hit the major setback it suffered was in product quality.