Veeam® Software, the innovative provider of solutions that deliver Availability for the Always-On Enterprise™,announced an expansion to its EMEA ProPartner Program, building upon its many successes since its initial launch in 2008. Veeam ProPartner Program enables partners to take advantage of the business opportunities presented by the needs of the Always-On Enterprise. It has gained more than 4,300 EMEA partners in 2015, bringing the total amount of ProPartners in EMEA to 22,700.

The ProPartner Program is an effective working platform between Veeam's ProPartners and Veeam, directly mandated to address the challenge of Availability for the Always-On Enterprise. With Veeam operating on a purely channel-based business model, Veeam's EMEA ProPartner Program will continue to focus on four main engines for the channel, this includes SMB, commercial, enterprise and continue to provide more opportunities for resellers and Veeam Cloud & Service Providers.

The major new enhancements to the ProPartner Program include:

· New features of Veeam EMEA ProPartner Program:

o The Veeam Accredited Service partner (VASP) program – which identifies a selected list of partners, system integrators and IT consultants who possess the technical skills to deliver value-added and reliable professional services for Veeam product portfolio implementations.

o Enterprise specialisation – aimed at addressing and supporting ProPartners to engage with Enterprise Customers about Always-On and Business Continuity, this feature is expected to be launched in Q2 2016 to support resellers in driving Veeam's availability solutions to Enterprise.

· Improved marketing and sales tools to provide additional day-to-day support for ProPartners

o ProPartner Portal redesign – a portal for partners to access technical and informational support, which is due to be available in 2016.

o Enhanced access for partners to marketing funds and sales and marketing resources/campaigns.

· Improved training for ProPartners
o Veeam Sales Professional (VMSP) and Veeam Technical Sales Professional (VMTSP) certifications – a mandatory requirement for all partner levels.
o Veeam Certified Engineer (VMCE) course and exam on Veeam Availability Suite™ v9 became available in February.
o VMCE Advanced – new certification (2-days course + exam) – to be introduced mid-2016.
o Free Veeam University courses and technical workshops held by Veeam systems engineers.

In a recent EMEA partner satisfaction report which surveyed 50,400 contacts in 2015, 94 percent of partners rated Veeam's ProPartner Program as ‘very good' or ‘good.' EMEA partners also praised Veeam for its quality of products and provided the following statements:

· #1 most prevalent: "I trust Veeam as a company and the quality of its product."
· #2 and #3 most prevalent: "I use Veeam to replace an existing solution for my customers."
· "Data loss" and "object restore" were the top responses from partners on pain points that Veeam products solve for their customers/prospects.

"Veeam operates on a channel-based business model and recognises that the success of its ProPartners has a direct impact on Veeam's overall success. The new enhancements and updates to the ProPartner Program in EMEA will create a more empowered and enabled channel community," said Gilles Pommier, vice president of Channel & Cloud, EMEA, at Veeam. "While Veeam continues to deliver Availability for the Always-On Enterprise, it also strives to improve and strengthen its partner training, value-add, profitability and integrated marketing support so partners can maintain their reputation as trusted advisors to Veeam customers."

What partners are saying about Veeam EMEA ProPartners Program:
"Our customers are increasingly demanding access to their business applications and data around the clock," said Roland Koenig, General Manager and Head of Virtualisation at Bechtle. "Partnering with Veeam has allowed us to deliver a solution that meets this demand, and enables clients to maintain an always-on presence for our customers. The Veeam ProPartner Program has been a great investment for us, enabling us to deliver increased availability and functionality to our customers."

"Our investment in Veeam has allowed us to become prepared for any eventuality, leaving us in a great position to deliver improved knowledge, value and expertise to our own partners and customers." said George M. Sabbagha, Founder and CEO of SCASICOMP. "The services the ProPartner Program offers, such as trainings and certification, are exceptional, while also offering additional tools tailored to our individual needs."

In Q2 this year Veeam is inviting its ProPartners to VeeamON Forums across EMEA, to share best practice sessions and to improve working relationships with partners. The EMEA ProPartner Program's standards and requirements will also be extended to Eastern Europe, Russia & CIS, Middle East and India during 2016, with the target of becoming a unified program by January 2017.

In Q1 2016, Veeam's EMEA ProPartner Program was voted by resellers and distributors as the ‘Best Channel Program of the year' for the Dutch IT-channel Award.

Resources
For more information on the ProPartner Program enhancements, current ProPartners can visit http://propartner.veeam.com/propartner/php.
For those interested in becoming a Veeam ProPartner, please visit http://www.veeam.com/propartner.html.