CHANNEL CHIEF
Veteran channel builder
Recently appointed Graham Porter is responsible for the Middle East channel sales team at
Veeam, spread across Saudi Arabia, UAE and other countries. By Arun Shankar.
Graham Porter, Middle
East Channel
Manager
at Veeam
Software.
H
e is responsible for working with
major distributors, including
Aptec, Redington and Logicom.
The primary focus is on new products and
the new cloud provider programme, as
hosting companies develop and offer more
services with Veeam across the region.
Veeam views Saudi Arabia as its biggest
opportunity, but is also seeing growth in
other countries, including Kuwait, Egypt,
Iraq and Levant. Veeam is growing rapidly.
It is doubling its addressable market
by launching software for backup and
availability for physical servers and end
points such as desktops and laptops.
In 1984, Porter started his career with
the IBM head office in UK, in a technical
support position, and had various sales
and channel roles across EMEA. In 1994,
he relocated to Saudi Arabia, where he
also worked with IBM and Saudi Business
Machines setting up a distribution and
channel business for it. In 1999, he
moved to Dubai to join HP and set up its
enterprise channels for the MENA region.
When HP merged with Compaq, Porter
joined Sun Microsystems where he led
channel marketing for the MENA region,
focusing on several key verticals. Porter
then spent six years at Cisco rolling out its
Partner-Led model for all of the Middle
East and Africa, travelling extensively.
Prior to Veeam, he spent three years at
NetApp rebuilding its distribution and
channel business, getting it into the data
security business.
Porter reflects on his most memorable
career moments. These include building
the distribution business with IBM in
Saudi Arabia in 1994; working with HP
in 1999, when HP first set up its regional
office in Jebel Ali, Dubai with 12 employees
in a Portakabin; and later on, enabling
channel partners for six years through
the Partner-Led model during his stint
at Cisco. “Now I am fortunate to be at
Veeam, which is aiming to be a $1.5 billion
software company in three years and also
have a young and fun culture,” he adds.
“Managing the inevitable conflicts and
building trust takes time, but this is what I
really enjoy,” says Porter, describing what
gives him the most satisfaction on the job.
“It is all about people and creating a shared
vision of success, where you win together.”
However, the recent squeeze on
channel partners, including their margins,
payments and credit terms, ranks as
the most challenging aspects of his job.
Adding to this challenge is the necessity
of managing people’s expectations and
trying to keep everyone happy within the
company’s limits. “Again, it is all about
people and communication,” explains
Porter, about the way he manages these
challenges in the present environment.
If he is not travelling, Porter de-stresses
by taking an evening walk with his wife and
pet dogs, followed by dinner with the family.
Another off-work activity is horse riding and
watching the polo in cool weather.
Managing the
inevitable
conflicts and
building trust
takes time.
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