D-Link's Michael Hardy Named 2015 CRN Channel Chief

VP of Enterprise and Channel Sales Recognized for Partner-Focused Initiatives and Advocacy of Channel Relationships

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Feb 23, 2015, 06:01 ET

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., Feb. 23, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- D-Link today announced that Michael Hardy, vice president, Enterprise and Channel Sales, has been named to the prestigious list of The Channel Company's 2015 CRN Channel Chiefs. The influential executives on this annual list represent the most powerful leaders in the IT channel who hold direct responsibility for driving growth and revenue for their organizations through their indirect channel partners. Individuals are selected for inclusion based on their track record of channel accomplishments, standing in the industry, dedication to the partner community, and plans for driving future business innovation and channel growth.

Michael Hardy, vice president, Enterprise and Channel Sales, has been named to the prestigious list of The Channel Company's 2015 CRN Channel Chiefs.

Hardy was named CRN Channel Chief for the second year running for his leadership, partner-focused initiatives and support of the channel. Under his leadership, D-Link has expanded its channel presence and enhanced its Deal Registration program for Enterprise products to increase margins, protect the business of partners and eliminate channel conflict. Programs initiatives focused on partner engagement and expanding the resources available to partners to increase their knowledge and expertise of D-Link products. Hardy and his team introduced a range of interactive sales tools designed to enable partners to deliver solutions to customers and profit in the evolving market landscape. Hardy continued to dedicate additional resources to training channel partners as well, offering quarterly educational webinars to increase partner knowledge and expertise of D-Link products. Through Hardy's increased efforts to strengthen partner programs and communications, D-Link has seen a 10% increase year over year in its VIP+ Partner community.

"We are focused on fostering partner relationships and engagement with D-Link's SMB and enterprise solutions," said Hardy. "It is an honor to be recognized as a leader in the channel by CRN. The acknowledgment underscores D-Link's focus on empowering channel partners to deliver real world networking and security solutions and remain competitive and profitable in today's competitive marketplace."

The 2015 CRN Channel Chiefs have demonstrated their enduring support for the channel by consistently defending, promoting and executing effective channel partner programs and strategies.

"Each year, our editors carefully vet an extensive group of highly accomplished channel executives to highlight those exemplary individuals who earn the mantle of CRN Channel Chief. These executives strive to advance the success and standing of the channel community within their organizations," said Robert Faletra, CEO, The Channel Company. "The 2015 CRN Channel Chiefs lead by example and serve as valuable advocates to help ensure the health and longevity of the IT channel. We applaud their accomplishments and look forward to their continued success."

The 2015 CRN Channel Chiefs list is featured in the February 2015 issue of CRN, and online at www.CRN.com.

About D-Link
D-Link is the global leader in connectivity for home, small business, mid- to large-sized enterprise environments, and service providers. An award-winning designer, developer, and manufacturer, D-Link implements and supports unified network solutions that integrate capabilities in switching, wireless, broadband, storage, IP Surveillance, and cloud-based network management. For more information visit us.dlink.com, or connect with D-Link on LinkedIn (http://www.linkedin.com/company/d-link) and Spiceworks (http://community.spiceworks.com/networking/d-link).

About The Channel Company
The Channel Company, with established brands including CRN, XChange Events, IPED and SharedVue, is the channel community's trusted authority for growth and innovation, For more than three decades, we have leveraged our proven and leading-edge platforms to deliver prescriptive sales and marketing solutions for the technology channel. The Channel Company provides Communication, Recruitment, Engagement, Enablement, Demand Generation and Intelligence services to drive technology partnerships. Learn more at www.thechannelcompany.com.

D-Link and the D-Link logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of D-Link. All other third-party marks mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective owners. © 2015 D-Link. All Rights Reserved.

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SOURCE D-Link