Verizon Ups Its Channel IQ, Hires Channel Veteran As VP Of Global Channels

Verizon Enterprise Solutions is stepping up its channel march by appointing 16-year channel veteran Adam Famularo, recognized as one of the top channel executives in the country, as vice president of global channels for the telecom superpower.

"The channel commitment is there and it is on an upward trajectory; my job is to get it growing even faster," said Famularo, who previously spent 16 years in various channel roles at CA Technologies and has been ranked numerous times by CRN as one of the top channel chiefs and channel strategists. "There is definitely a call to action to bring new partners into the program that want to go to market with us. We are looking to add more partners in networking, communications, mobility, security and cloud."

Verizon is pulling together an end-to-end suite of solutions tightly integrated into the Verizon network including integration with products from large OEMs such as Cisco Systems and Microsoft, said Famularo. "We are looking forward to working with partners to create true solutions in networking, communications, mobility and cloud," he said. "Channel partners are going to play an integral role at Verizon as we look to build out all the different enterprise solutions we are bringing to market."

[Related: CA North America Channel Chief Steps Down]

Solution providers characterized Famularo's appointment as a watershed event for Verizon as the company moves to aggressively expand its channel footprint.

"This is a blockbuster," said Bob Venero, CEO of Future Tech, a Holbrook, N.Y., solution provider, No. 234 on the CRN SP500. "Adam is somebody who understands the channel. Historically, Verizon hasn't done as great a job at that. This is going to be a great game-changer for them."

Venero said he is already moving to expand his relationship with Verizon now that Famularo is leading the charge. "Future Tech's relationship with Verizon is going to grow tremendously," he predicted. "Adam brought incredible depth and breadth to the channel in everything he did at CA. Our growth with CA once we engaged with Adam was exponential to what it was before Adam took the job. We look forward to that same type of dedication, drive and value that he brought to CA with Verizon."

Matt Troka, senior vice president of product and partner management at $11.3 billion national solution provider CDW said he is thrilled by Famularo's move to Verizon. "Adam and I have worked together for more than a decade and he has always been focused on building great channel and partner business that deliver results. Needless to say, we’re all looking forward to working with Adam at Verizon and continuing to grow our relationship together. What’s good for CDW is good for our shared customers."

Famularo, who is now responsible for all of Verizon's indirect enterprise channels including partners, VARs and system integrators across the globe, will report to Verizon Senior Vice President of Global Solutions George Fischer.

Fischer, who worked with Famularo at CA and made the move to Verizon in July, was previously executive vice president of worldwide sales and service for CA, heading up a $4.4 billion business.

Famularo said he had evaluated several job opportunities after leaving CA in May. He said the size and scope of the Verizon channel opportunity was 10 times the size of the other companies he considered.

"The Verizon team is adamant about building a big, big channel partner business," he said. "In the end, that was the reason I chose Verizon. I looked at Verizon and the opportunity and what you see is they have the best network in the industry. Marry that with all of the solutions we can bring to market and it is really a special time to join Verizon."

Famularo said he was impressed by the channel passion and commitment at Verizon, which in July opened up 1,700 of Verizon's top enterprise accounts to the channel. Previously, these accounts were exclusively managed by Verizon's direct sales team.

"Verizon has a genuine appetite to build out the channel business not only for the large enterprise accounts, but for the entire midmarket segment," he said. "Verizon is really dependent on the channel to build and develop new business as well as extending the existing client base."

Famularo credited Janet Schijns, vice president of corporate, medium and indirect channels at Verizon Enterprise Solutions, for building a strong five-star channel program at the company. He said he is looking forward to working closely with her to continue to build out the channel with a strong marketing presence. "This is one plus one equals three," he said. "We will absolutely be working together as we take the program to the next level."

Famularo has been named a top CRN Channel Chief for the past five years. What's more, he was named as one of CRN's top 10 channel strategists and in 2011 and was named one of the top 25 innovators by CRN in 2010.

PUBLISHED SEPT. 29, 2014

"There is a huge opportunity in front of us," said Famularo. "I couldn't be more excited about leading the charge. This shows how committed Verizon is to the channel. They are speaking with actions as opposed to just words."