Violin Memory shuffles out 'half-price' PCIe flash cards to eager tech channel

Blocks and Files Companies with good products can screw up in Europe through inappropriate strategies for the technology channel which sells their products and head-office bureaucracy. A case in point is Violin Memory, at least according to sources in the channel, although they say the situation is improving.

Stephen Rose joined Violin Memory in May as their new EMEA head, also heading up Latin America.

Sources claimed to The Register that Rose inherited a channel strategy that was in disarray, with Violin allegedly taking deals direct where it saw the channel not delivering.

One view from the channel was that management had an HP-like mindset instead of a start-up one, and expected the channel to bring in business without engagement and support from Violin.

Violin Memory recently experienced a drop in revenues in EMEA. El Reg's storage desk wonders whether the resulting European revenue deficits helped delay the firm's long-anticipated IPO. Anyway, Don Basile, Violin's CEO, has cracked his whip and Rose has come aboard to sort things out.

Thanks to Rose's imposition of clear demarcation lines between named Violin accounts and others, our source says the channel has now begun to feel it can work with Violin and shift products.

One thing that helps is Violin's new Velocity PCIe flash card, which, we hear, is likely to be priced in Europe around half of like-for-like Fusion-io cards. That has channel players salivating. ®