Storage specialist WD, formerly known as Western Digital, announced an agreement with storage distributor Promark Technology to resell WD Sentinel ultra-compact storage and server solutions and WD Arkeia business network backup solutions.
Promark is a U.S.-focused value added distributor (VAD) and subsidiary of technology distributor Ingram Micro.
As part of its new alliance with Promark, WD will enhance its Business Storage Partnership program by adding a partner portal that will support partner marketing efforts, deal registration and computer-based training.
The storage innovator will also leverage Promark’s in-house resources to train and certify partners on the Arkeia and Sentinel solutions and will encourage partners to take advantage of the new programs.
“Our goal is to provide value to small- and medium-sized organizations with our WD Arkeia and WD Sentinel products and solutions,” Tom Gallivan, vice president of sales for WD business storage solutions, said in a statement. “We believe that Promark, and their network of VARs and systems integrators, is the right distribution partner to help us achieve this in the U.S.”
The Sentinel X-Series network storage servers combine enterprise-grade hard drives, Intel Atom processors and the Microsoft Storage Server Operating system.
The Sentinel S-Series ultra-compact storage plus servers combine enterprise-grade hard drives, Intel Xeon processors with Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials, and are aimed at small businesses and workgroups of larger companies that are looking for an ultra-compact storage solution integrating iSCSI SAN, NAS and server-based backup technology.
“This agreement with WD reinforces Promark’s market position as a highly specialized storage distributor that is committed to expanding our vendors’ reach and enabling mutual channel partners to successfully market, sell and support the IT industry’s most in-demand storage solutions,” Charles Bass, Promark’s vice president of vendor relations, said in a statement. “We are pleased to expand our portfolio to include WD’s products and solutions and will work together to generate greater demand and deliver more value to our mutual channel partners.”
WD recently introduced My Passport Pro, a portable, Thunderbolt-powered dual-drive solution, aimed at creative professionals and enthusiasts who seek high performance and capacity in a mobile form. For Mac systems, My Passport Pro has user-selectable RAID functionality to deliver needed performance for demanding applications without the need for power adapters or extra cables.
Directly powered through the integrated Thunderbolt cable, the devices boast performance rates at speeds up to 233M bps, offering speedy transfer, edit and backup capabilities.