Brocade Nabs Former Tech Data Sales Veteran As VP Of Channel Sales

Brocade Communications has nabbed longtime Tech Data sales and channel veteran Pete Peterson as its new vice president of worldwide channel sales.

"This is a big deal for Brocade," said Andrew Fisher, CEO at Myriad Supply, a New York-based solution provider and Brocade partner ranked No. 289 on the CRN Solution Provider 500 list. "We're happy anytime a manufacturer like Brocade takes steps to improve their channel friendliness. Bringing on someone (like) Pete is a huge step in that direction … Pete's done wonders for the channel at Tech Data and has been a real champion for Myriad Supply as well."

Peterson (pictured) is tasked with developing Brocade's channel programs and managing the company's go-to-market strategy.

[Related: Brocade CEO: Transition To Open Source Will Be Difficult For Cisco]

Peterson spent 20 years at the Clearwater, Fla.-based distributor Tech Data, which saw net income grow more than 22 percent in its most recent quarterly earnings, along with more than $6.5 billion in sales.

In his previous role at Tech Data, Peterson was senior vice president of global business development, responsible for new vendor-partner acquisitions and diversification opportunities. He also held leadership roles such as senior vice president of U.S. sales.

"We saw Pete as a phenomenal leader at Tech Data and so for Brocade to pick up such a channel-friendly leader it's going to be a great thing for all their resellers," Fisher said.

Peterson said in a statement that he's excited to develop "market-leading programs" that drive more partner sales. He could not be reached for additional comment.

"With Brocade's current product portfolio and future roadmap, I believe the company is in prime position to become the network industry leader in helping organizations around the world transition to the next generation of new IP networking technologies," he said in a statement.

Brocade, based in San Jose, Calif., is pushing toward a portfolio of open architectures and solutions from routers and switching to campus and data center devices. Brocade CEO Lloyd Carney told CRN in an interview earlier this year that his company is committed to focusing on the software-defined space and network function virtualization.

"The emergence of cloud services and software-based, virtualized, New IP networking solutions fundamentally changes how organizations procure technology and services," said Jeff Lindholm, senior vice president of Worldwide Sales at Brocade, in a statement. "Successful companies in our space recognize the increasingly critical role that channel partners play in helping customers realize the benefits of these next-generation networking solutions that support strategic business imperatives."

PUBLISHED NOV. 9, 2015