New Channel Program Unites Carbonite, EVault And DoubleTake Technologies

Data protection technology developer Carbonite on Tuesday unveiled a new channel program that brings together the three programs it had in place as part of earlier acquisitions.

The new channel opportunity unites Carbonite's SMB- and SOHO- focused channel program with offerings from Evault, which Carbonite acquired in December of 2015, and DoubleTake, which it bought this year, said Jon Whitlock, vice president of channel sales and marketing for the Boston-based company (pictured).

The original Carbonite products primarily focus on data protection for small businesses and consumers, while the EVault product focused on midmarket and DoubleTake added advanced replication capabilities, Whitlock told CRN.

[Related: Carbonite Completes Sales Reorg Following EVault Acquisition: Mellinger Stays, Doggett Leaves]

"With the launch of a single partner program, we're helping partners work across product lines, and across whatever type of partner they are, whether it's as a value-added reseller, an MSP, an alliance partner who embeds or bundles our technology with theirs, or a referral partner," he said.

The program brings partners simplicity, with an authorized tier and a premier tier based on partner investment, goals, and revenue, Whitlock said.

Partners are free to sell any products across any of Carbonite's lines, but are encouraged to get specialization in the EVault and DoubleTake lines with technical and sales training, he said.

"We built our program on value," he said. "By attaining specializations, partners get additional rewards including deal registration and additional marketing activities."

The DoubleTake and EVault lines are available only via channel partners, while the Carbonite line is available direct and via partners, Whitlock said. "But we are very channel-friendly," he said. "Our channel program is built, so we never compete with the channel on price. There's never a situation where the customer gets a better deal by buying from us direct."

A couple of Carbonite channel partners told CRN that they have indeed found Carbonite to be a channel-friendly partner, and are looking at expanding their Carbonite business with the new single channel program.

Scott Wolff, president of LanServ, a Maryland Heights, Mo.-based channel partner, started with EVault about three years ago and had several issues with its former owners.

"Before, we never heard from anyone, and no one ever offered to take our hand," Wolff told CRN. "After Carbonite came in, they showed how everything should work from top to bottom."

Since Carbonite acquired EVault, LanServ has picked up the Carbonite line as a way to protect C-level executives and road warriors, including its own people, with the right options to make sure their data is protected, Wolff said.

The company vetted DoubleTake in the past before signing with EVault, he said. "We looked at it for its server migration capabilities," he said. "We fell out of touch. But I'm big when it comes to R&D on new vendors, and DoubleTake is again on my list of companies to look at. The first chance I get, I'll get DoubleTake training."

Lee Bird, president of Btech, a Pasadena, Calif.-based solution provider who was the first to sign with EVault when it came to market 16 years ago, told CRN that his company has been with EVault through multiple name changes and problems, but has found it to be a steady choice for his credit union customer base under Carbonite.

"We sell EVault as a managed service because of its compliance capabilities," Bird said. "Credit unions needed data encryption. The biggest thing about the Carbonite acquisition was the really, really good management team. Anything they say they will do gets gone."

Btech has worked with DoubleTake because of its high availability capabilities that credit unions require, Bird said. "Now that DoubleTake is part of Carbonite and in the single channel program, our business with DoubleTake will definitely grow," he said.

Bird said he expects the next part in Carbonite's evolution will be to extend the Carbonite name to the EVault and DoubleTake offerings, whether by itself or in combination with the existing brands. And, he said, as an MSP, he would be okay with that.

"Most solutions we take to credit unions are managed services," he said. "Customers are looking to fit a specific requirement. If an examiner finds an issue, the customer tells us, and we find the right solution. The customer doesn't ask what brand we are using."