Local software-as-a-service (SaaS) provider, Emantra, is ramping up its channel expansion plans after scoring Microsoft gold partner certification.
The company is working on a new division and devoting greater resources to the channel business, as well as appointing a dedicated account manager to look after its Microsoft relationship. Managing director, Ross Dewar, said having gold status will add to the its market credibility.
"It'll give us a tap into leads coming from Microsoft and its partners," he said.
Emantra provides hosting solutions around messaging, servers, storage and websites. In order to gain the certification, the company had to meet specific technical capabilities and have a number of Microsoft certified technicians, as well as achieve a set sales quota, Dewar said.
"It's a validation from Microsoft itself, and a requirement in our business to access larger opportunities," he said.
Emantra has been in operation for two-and-a-half years and has regularly contributed to the Microsoft community, running events as well as community forums.
Dewar said Microsoft gold status had been a company goal since day one.
He expected the virtualisation engine for Microsoft Server 2008, due in the middle of this year, to be a big boost for Emantra.
With broadband expansion in Australia, the company was also seeing increasing interest in high-definition Web conferencing and remote Web backup, Dewar said.
