hawkeye Channel’s PartnerConduit Network Welcomes 5,000 Partners and Lowers Barriers to Entry

PartnerConduit Network™ (PCN), the online community―hosted by hawkeye Channel Practice―driven by partners for partners to manage their collaborative opportunities and grow business, has teamed up with CompTIA MSP Partners, the online education resource dedicated to managed services for information technology (IT) professionals.

The new alliance will provide participants―including technology vendors, channel partners and solution providers―with additional cross-collaborative and networking opportunities to achieve greater growth, reach, efficiency and profitability.

“Today’s market dynamics demand that companies collaborate to satisfy the needs of end users,” said Steve Murphy, vice president of e-collaboration services for hawkeye Channel Practice, a leading international full-service channel marketing agency. “PCN enables vendors and partners across the industry to deliver end-to-end technology solutions to their customers while providing vendors with a platform to reach the channel more efficiently and cost-effectively. By aligning with CompTIA MSP Partners, we welcome 5,000 new managed services partners into this network.”

“As a proud alliance partner of the PartnerConduit Network (PCN), we’re excited about the prospect of opening a whole new world of opportunities to members of both CompTIA MSP Partners and PCN,” said Jim Hamilton, senior director, member relations, CompTIA, the leading trade association for the global IT industry. “We’re committed to helping the Managed Services industry achieve growth through collaboration and to providing more resources to generate better results for its customers.”

hawkeye has also introduced simpler and more cost-effective PCN membership plans for channel partners. The new pricing model includes a complimentary basic company membership and reduces the premium membership rate from $99 to $49 per month. In addition, hawkeye has extended complimentary premium membership to CompTIA MSP Partners for a limited time of 90 days.

“Channel partners who want to grow their business in North America can now join for free and discover what collaboration can truly mean to their bottom line,” said Murphy. “It just takes a few minutes to sign up and to begin finding other partners and vendors with whom to collaborate to close deals—or to be found by others to grow their revenue streams.”

What This Means to Current MSP Partners and PCN Members

Members of CompTIA MSP Partners at any level will automatically qualify as PCN members and will receive three months of free PCN Premium Member benefits that will enable them to:

• Collaborate on new leads and opportunities with partners and technology vendors within the PCN community
• Extend reach and manage partner engagements while reducing administrative costs by as much as 70% over single-vendor programs

Members of PCN at any level will receive benefits of CompTIA MSP Partners at no additional cost that will provide them with access to:

• Comprehensive on-demand courses
• ‘Ask an Expert’ webinars
• Comprehensive MSP FAQ

Benefits of Joining

• Channel partners who join PCN at the Premium level ($49 per month) will receive benefits of the CompTIA MSP Partners at no additional cost.
• Channel partners who join CompTIA MSP Partners at any level ($49/$250 per year) will qualify for three months of PCN benefits for free through June 30, 2010.
• Technology vendors who join PCN as new sponsors through March 31, 2010 will have the opportunity to offer their channel partners PCN Premium Member benefits valued at $49 per month for up to three months.

Getting to Know You

To learn more about the immense benefits available to you: visit www.partnerconduit.com or call 877-222-9514; or visit www.msppartners.com or call 630-678-8489.

About hawkeye Channel

hawkeye Channel, a leading international full-service channel marketing agency, strives to optimize the value of channel relationships for leading technology companies by delivering comprehensive solutions that include strategies, programs and collaboration. With extensive channel expertise and global reach, its aim is to help companies tackle the toughest channel marketing program and infrastructure obstacles to maximize their channel investments through end-to-end solutions using best-in-class practices. For more information, visit www.hawkeyechannel.com.

About CompTIA

CompTIA is the voice of the world’s information technology (IT) industry. Its members are the companies at the forefront of innovation, and the professionals responsible for maximizing the benefits organizations receive from their investments in technology. CompTIA is dedicated to advancing industry growth through its educational programs, market research, networking events, professional certifications, and public policy advocacy. For more information, visit www.comptia.org or follow CompTIA on Twitter at http://www.Twitter.com/comptia.