Peak 10's New Channel Chief Dave Sroka Aims To Pump Up Commitment To The Channel

Peak 10, a Cisco-powered IaaS provider, named Dave Sroka as its new vice president of channel sales following the retirement of former channel chief, Steve Harris, in December.

Charlotte, N.C.-based Peak 10 has recently shaken up its executive staff and plans to revitalize its channel strategy this year, the provider told CRN. Harris had served as Peak 10's channel chief and senior vice president since June 2011.

[Related: Kaspersky Lab's North American Channel Chief Bois Leaves Security Vendor]

Sroka is a veteran in the cloud, data center, and interconnection markets, bringing more than 20 years of experience to Peak 10. Before his appointment as channel chief, Sroka served as vice president of agent and channel sales for CoreSight, a Denver-based data center and colocation provider. Prior to that, Sroka worked as vice president of sales for Denver-based interconnection and colocation provider Cologix and as director of sales for Broomfield, Colo.-based Level 3 Communications.

Sroka joined Peak 10 in November and said he had been tasked with leading Peak 10's partner program into a high-growth phase. He called Peak 10's Partner Program "an extremely vital arm of the business," and an area he is enthusiastic about growing this year.

"In 2017 we will be focused on further enhancing our commitment to the channel through strategic investments and improved alignment between the channel and our direct teams," Sroka said.

Avant Communications, a Chicago-based master agent and Peak 10 partner, is sad to see Harris go, but Sroka is already blowing the channel away, according to Drew Lydecker, Avant’s president and co-founder.

"We have a longstanding relationship with Peak 10 and have full confidence in their leadership team, including Dave Sroka, their new channel chief," Lydecker said. "We believe 2017 is going to be a breakout year for the company."

Peak 10 also recently took on a new CEO. Chris Downie joined Peak 10 as CEO in September. Before his appointment with Peak 10, Downie served as CEO of data center services provider Telx Group before Digital Realty Trust acquired the company in 2015. Peak 10's former CEO, David Jones, is now Peak 10's chairman.