Motorola revamps VAR program

SCHAUMBURG, Ill.--Motorola has launched a revamping of its value-added reseller program, broken up into three product access categories that leverage the company's wireless capabilities in different ways. Mike Fabbri, Motorola's director of Data Solutions Operations, said that while the company has traditionally been involved in security through municipal sales, it has developed a cadre of VARs to service a number of other verticals, with most success coming in campus environments. "Motorola has a 75-year history of servicing public safety," said Fabri, "and we're a trusted partner of theirs for two-way voice" and other data management operations. Two years ago, the company developed a data solutions business that has gravitated toward the use and deployment of video solutions because technology has only recently allowed video to be pulled down and pushed up to security personnel traveling through a wireless mesh network. The first VAR section is dedicated to these mobile devices often used by public safety departments, laptops and other devices mounted in vehicles. Second is for fixed wireless broadband VARs, which would describe most security integrators. "We're trying to target video VARs," said Fabbri, "people who have IP video expertise, folks that potentially have public safety experience, and who already have relationships with people like Sony, Axis, NICE, OnSSI." Finally, there is the third level, for Mobile wireless broadband, for VARs qualified to "focus on selling, designing, integrating, implementing and supporting solutions using Motorola's full wireless broadband solutions portfolio, with emphasis on mobile solutions using Motomesh and/or wireless mesh broadband." VARs operating at this level would be selling city-wide deployments. All three levels have certain requirements for qualification, mostly involving a demonstration of IT skills competence, experience selling in certain verticals, and employment of Motorola certified field and systems engineers.