Extreme Networks has extended its ExtremeDojo training program to customers and added a technical training pathway.
Originally designed to educate employees and global partners, ExtremeDojo now provides its customers with modular, competency-based curricula delivered in a new and gamified format. Technical engineers
Extreme Networks has said that it needs to make changes to its datacentre business and “bed in” the acquired Brocade’s data centre business.
The outfit has warned that it will need to make some channel changes, so presumably some will be kicked out of the bed or given additional duvets for the cold weather.
The firm released its fourth quarter numbers with an insight into how the business, which had been swelled by acquisitions of Avaya’s networking unit and Brocade’s datacentre operation, has fared over the three months to 30 June.
The headline numbers included a 56 percent increase in revenues to $278.3 million and a GAAP net loss of $5.6 million which was a decrease of $18.8 million.
Ed Meyercord, president and CEO of Extreme Networks, said that its fiscal 2019 would include $98 million of cross-selling opportunities after closing $40 million in FY18.
But there was a note of caution, and indications that there would be some changes to the distribution strategy in the fiscal year to come.
“We are resetting expectations for our data center business, and are taking swift action to rebuild our sales pipeline after a disappointing fiscal fourth quarter, while celebrating some key wins”, said Meyercord.
“Last quarter, we completed a digital transformation initiative within our supply chain and vendor managed inventory systems, allowing us to run a much more responsive operation. We are now undertaking an initiative over the next six months to bring our portfolio together and consolidate distribution to improve channel efficiency”, he added.
Damovo has become a top-level Diamond partner with Extreme Networks.
Chief commercial officer of Damovo, Burkhart Boettcher, told Channelnomics that Extreme’s spate of acquisitions last year, which included Avaya’s networking business and Brocade’s datacentre business, has made the vendor one of the UCC market’s biggest players.
Extreme was boosted by the fact that Avaya divested its data business and became rather important to Damovo.
Boettcher said that Extreme was not a Cisco and was a lot smaller, but sometimes you just want to do things differently and Extreme is just different in this.
Damovo has worked with Extreme in the past, but only on a local level in Germany and Ireland. The partnership means Damovo can now work with Extreme globally.
Boettcher said he has assigned a vendor alliance manager to work solely with Extreme, marking Damovo’s level of commitment with the vendor.
Despite being a committed Cisco partner, Boettcher said that the new partnership with Extreme does not signal a shift in priorities for Damovo.
“We do not see them competing too much; if a project is a Cisco project, then it is a Cisco project. Extreme are open, it is their openness and their verticals where they really excel, such as healthcare, for example. And that is what distinguishes them from the others.”
Extreme Networks will continue its buying frenzy even after it completes its Avaya and Brocade deals.
The company is close to snapping up Avaya’s networking business for £77.5 million, after being named the preferred bidder in March, which triggered a stalking horse bidders process.
The acquisition is part of a trio of Extreme deals, with the vendor acquiring Zebra’s wireless LAN arm and expecting to complete a deal for Brocade’s networking business in August.
But the company said that its acquisition spree is far from over and did not rule out further additions this year.
An Extreme spokesperson said that the company was continuing to shore up its portfolio as part of a scaling process where size means everything.
The company is eying companies in the switching space and tangential capabilities to strengthen areas that its partner want to deliver.
Extreme expects Brocade and Avaya will see Extreme double its customer base and partner base.
Extreme’s partner programme is fairly lucrative and the company wants to expand that to onboard the partners because it thinks there is an opportunity to expand its footprint.
Avaya partners should be reassured after an uncertain few months, the company spokesman said.
There is some relief that the technology is going to a networking company and there’s a feeling that the uncertainty is all over.
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