MarketBridge & Everything Channel's IPED Form Alliance Integrating Research & Channel Strategy Practices

New alliance forms to address customer challenges during dramatic change in IT channel ecosystem

BETHESDA, Md. and MANHASSET, N.Y., March 2, 2011/PRNewswire/ -- MarketBridge and Everything Channel announced today that the two organizations have formed an alliance to expand upon the consulting capabilities of IPED (the research, consulting and education division of Everything Channel) by integrating with MarketBridge's Sales Channel Management practice.  IPED's research-based consulting services will now be delivered by MarketBridge, while IPED will continue to provide its leading suite of research, training and educational services.

By aligning MarketBridge's leading Sales Channel Management practice with IPED's proven channel experience and comprehensive industry data, both organizations will expand their capabilities by leveraging each other's world class core competencies.  Everything Channel and MarketBridge will continue to provide their respective solutions to customers while gaining the ability to add each other's capabilities to the mix, resulting in the industry's leading suite of Sales Channel Management services and solutions.

As the IT channel ecosystem undergoes significant change due to the emergence of disruptive technologies such as the cloud, virtualization, mobile communications, and social media, channel executives face a growing number of new challenges to ensure a healthy channel. MarketBridge and IPED identified an ideal opportunity, through this alliance, to extend the depth and breadth of their channel offerings to help customers more effectively navigate the changing channel landscape.  

MarketBridge, a leading provider of technology-enabled Go-to-Market™ strategy, digital marketing, and business intelligence services and solutions, has a long and rich history of providing sales channel development and performance improvement solutions to leading global organizations.  Since MarketBridge's Founder, Tim Furey, authored The Channel Advantage, named one of the "Best Business Books of 2000," MarketBridge has been a pioneer in the development of hybrid, "connected Sales and Marketing" solutions for both blue chip and emerging growth companies.  MarketBridge will be tasked with fulfilling on the services offered through the new alliance.  IPED's Rauline Ochs will be joining the MarketBridge team, adding to an already talented practice.

IPED, the leading channel research, consulting and education division of Everything Channel, has long been considered the gold standard in channel benchmarking and training.  Their extensive experience in providing proprietary research is renowned across the technology industry.  Integrating IPED's research, consulting and training capabilities into MarketBridge's Sales Channel Management practice through the alliance will provide B2B channel executives with a broader, deeper set of services and solutions.  In addition, the alliance allows IPED to expand its technology industry focus into other technology-driven industries where MarketBridge has a strong presence, such as Business Services, Financial Services and Healthcare.

"As these technologies increasingly impact the way companies go-to-market across industries, channel executives are developing new strategies and business models," said Rick Rose, MarketBridge CEO.  "The emergence and rapid adoption of the cloud over the past five years has significantly increased the number of solutions providers in the marketplace, which has dramatically impacted the importance of channel partners.  This alliance better positions MarketBridge to provide end-to-end sales channel management solutions."

"IPED continues to be an invaluable resource for channel executives and as such, we are thrilled to align with MarketBridge and extend our offerings," said Robert Faletra, CEO, Everything Channel.   "The alliance allows us to combine our world class industry research and unmatched channel expertise where appropriate with MarketBridge's broad and scalable strategy-through-implementation experience.  We are now able to offer the industry an even richer, more comprehensive suite of channel management offerings, designed to help our customers navigate the rapidly evolving channel landscape."  

For more information, or to better understand how these services can benefit your organization, please contact Andy Swick, MarketBridge Director of Marketing, at (240) 752-1882 or Miriam Kutcher, Everything Channel Vice President of Marketing at (508) 416-1162.

About MarketBridge

MarketBridge (www.market-bridge.com) is a leading global provider of technology-enabled sales and marketing solutions and services for Fortune 1000 and emerging growth companies. The addition of IPED's leading channel benchmarking and management education capabilities deepens an already comprehensive set of Sales Channel Management services and solutions.  The firm also offers a deep set of services in Market & Customer Insight, Marketing & Demand Generation, and Decision Support Systems. Over the past 10 years, we have completed over 1,000 separate engagements for 18 of the world's top 50 brands and many emerging companies. We work closely with CEOs and their senior Marketing and Sales leaders to solve their toughest business challenges and create scalable, sustainable competitive advantage.  Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MarketBridge.

Everything Channel

Everything Channel (www.everythingchannel.com) is the premier provider of IT channel-focused events, media, research, consulting, and sales and marketing services. With over 30 years of experience and engagement, Everything Channel has the unmatched channel expertise to execute integrated solutions for technology executives managing partner recruitment, enablement and go-to-market strategy in order to accelerate technology sales. Everything Channel is a UBM company. Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/everythingchnl.

United Business Media Limited

UBM (UBM.L; www.unitedbusinessmedia.com) focuses on two principal activities: worldwide information distribution, targeting and monitoring; and, the development and monetization of B2B communities and markets. UBM's businesses inform markets and serve professional commercial communities - from doctors to game developers, from journalists to jewelry traders, from farmers to pharmacists – with integrated events, online, print and business information products. Our 6,500 staff in more than 30 countries are organized into specialist teams that serve these communities, bringing buyers and sellers together, helping them to do business and their markets to work effectively and efficiently.

SOURCE MarketBridge