Middle Eastern and Turkish resellers predict virtualisation management as top growth area in 2009

The survey revealed that almost two thirds (60%) of Middle East and Turkish respondents expect spending on virtualisation management to increase this year. Resellers also predicted growth in Internet security (33%), Business Service Management (33%) and data centre automation (33%).

Resellers were also questioned about where they anticipate deriving the most profit. 53% of respondents expect recovery management (data protection, business continuity and disaster recovery) to be one of the most profitable. This was followed by virtualisation management with 50% and Internet security with 48%. The EMEA-wide survey, conducted online by CA's partner community, revealed that virtualisation management was widely considered to be a top area for growth and spending across EMEA.

Gilbert Lacroix, SVP of EMEA Channel Sales at CA, commented:

"It's great to see that our partners in the Middle East and Turkey, and across the rest of EMEA, recognise that there are real commercial opportunities to help their customers increase the effectiveness and cost efficiency of their IT. Successful management of the virtualisation infrastructure is one clear example which can bring huge productivity gains and deliver exceptional ROI. Armed with our innovative product portfolio which firmly targets these areas of opportunity, our partners are in a strong position to keep winning more deals and remain profitable."

The survey also provided useful insight into reseller sentiment about the recession and what they expect vendors to do to help them.

Economic outlook will get a little worse
When asked about the economic outlook, 77% of Middle Eastern and Turkish resellers said they expect it to deteriorate throughout 2009. Encouragingly though, a significant 45% think it will only get a little worse.

Resellers predict stable IT budgets
The survey revealed a relatively high degree of budget stability against the backdrop of the declining economy. While 80% of respondents in this region anticipate cuts, more than a third (39%) said these will be small, potentially indicating a feeling that the worst times have already passed.

Resellers looking to vendors to help
58% of resellers from the Middle East and Turkey said financial incentives are a very important factor when investing in a vendor relationship, followed by pre-sales support (57%), stability (43%) and strong product roadmap (43%).

Lacroix continued: "There's no doubt we're all operating in tough times, but I'm pleased that this survey shows an encouraging balance of realism and optimism within our partner community. CA will continue to provide a mix of training and enablement activities to help our partners win business but we now have a stronger focus on financial incentives and lead generation. The channel is extraordinarily important to us and we're committed to ensuring our partners remain profitable during this time."

Survey Information

The 2009 CA Channel Index surveyed 1,339 of CA's partners across EMEA from 18th December 2008 to 27th January 2009. Respondents completed an online survey. Breakdown of number of respondents in each region: Austria 99, France 186, Germany 298, Israel 6, Italy 112, Middle East and Turkey 60, North Europe (Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark) 184, Portugal 59, Spain 80, Switzerland 119 and UK & Ireland 136.