Channel Insider Chooses Isilon Systems for Coveted Channel Award

SEATTLE, Jan. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Isilon® Systems (Nasdaq: ISLN), today announced that it has been awarded a 2009 Bulls-Eye Challenger Award, recognizing the momentum within the company's channel sales programs and its strong positioning for future success. The award acknowledges strong growth within Isilon's channel this past year, including work put forth in 2009 to create a new Preferred Partner Program.

Isilon's program differs from those of other major storage vendors and provides unique benefits for its partners. The program is built on two core pillars. The first is a pricing discount model, which enables resellers to set their own discounts while maintaining at least a 20- to 30-percent margin to maximize the revenue opportunities possible with Isilon's scale-out NAS solutions. The program's second core pillar establishes a unique professional service opportunity that encourages partners to participate in a channel-driven professional services model, furthering the revenue streams associated with Isilon's solutions.

"We are extremely pleased to be named an up-and-comer for the work we have done in 2009 to bolster our channel, including the development of Isilon's Preferred Partner Program," said Leonard Iventosch, vice president of global channels and OEM, Isilon Systems. "We knew going into 2009 that our products offered our channel partners better margin opportunities than competing solutions, and the results our partners have achieved this year have certainly borne that out. We're excited about the foundation our partners have worked hard to build and the opportunities in front of us in 2010."

The Partner Program of the Year Award goes to the vendor with less than $1 billion in gross revenue and exemplifies partnership through a program that provides superior attributes in partner sales support, marketing, technical assistance, collaboration, channel conflict management and consistency in rules of engagement, and provides a high return on investment for partner engagement.

"In a tough economy, VARs are easily being squeezed out of deals by vendors who tend to sacrifice the channel partner for sake of margins," said Alan Dumas, founder and president, Accunet Solutions. "Isilon truly treats its channel as partners, and in doing so, proves its commitment to helping VARs stay in the loop, and in the deal, and never excluding them because it's convenient to do so."

"The Channel Insider Bull's Eye Awards go to companies and individuals that are hitting their targets dead-on. The award recipients demonstrate the best in planning, execution and innovation. They provide the shining example of how to succeed in technology business, and are worthy of emulation by their peers," said Lawrence M. Walsh, vice president and group publisher of Channel Insider.

The Channel Insider Bull's Eye Awards is a community-driven recognition of excellence of the vendors, executives, solution providers, products, advocates and communities that comprise the channel. Award winners - selected by Channel Insider's editorial team, members of the Channel Insider Alliance and industry experts - are lauded for their contributions to the channel community in the past year.

About Channel Insider

Channel Insider is dedicated to providing IT resellers and the partner community with the technology and market intelligence to increase revenues and grow their businesses. Channel Insider addresses the $450 billion marketplace populated by more than 225,000 solution providers, services companies, ISVs, distributors, custom application developers, system builders, managed services companies and technology consultants. Channel Insider's rich news and analytics Website, case study and technology review magazine, market trends research, and virtual and face-to-face events provide its readers with a 360-degree view of the North America reseller channel. As a result, Channel Insider services the most robust and engaged channel audience. www.channelinsider.com.

About Ziff Davis Enterprise, Inc.

Ziff Davis Enterprise, Inc. is B2B technology's trusted information resource. Millions of technology buyers rely on our relevant, objective content to identify the right solutions for their organizations. Over 300 technology companies, from industry giants to emerging start-ups, rely on our contextual content, marketing, and audience development expertise to compress sales cycles and lower their go-to-market costs. Leading brands include Baseline, CIO Insight, eWEEK, Channel Insider, Baselinemag.com, CIOInsight.com, eWEEK.com, WebBuyersGuide.com, and the Developer Shed network. Ziff Davis Enterprise has proven marketing solutions for branding, engagement, and face-to-face events. Products include print and online advertising, eNewsletter sponsorships, content syndication, eSeminars, virtual tradeshows, events, and custom media services. Ziff Davis Enterprise has a global database of 5.4 million users representing an unparalleled community of business and technology professionals, developers, and the channel. www.ziffdavisenterprise.com.

About Isilon Systems

Isilon Systems (Nasdaq: ISLN) is the proven leader in scale-out NAS. Isilon's clustered storage and data management solutions drive unique business value for customers by maximizing the performance of their mission-critical applications, workflows, and processes. Isilon enables enterprises and research organizations worldwide to manage large and rapidly growing amounts of file-based data in a highly scalable, easy-to-manage, and cost-effective way. Information about Isilon can be found at http://www.isilon.com.

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SOURCE Isilon Systems