THOUSAND OAKS, CA -- (Marketwire) -- 11/08/12 -- Xirrus®, the leader in high-performance wireless networks, today announced the Xirrus Alliance Network (XAN) to empower channel, managed services, consulting services, and technology partners of wireless network technology to deliver best-in-class mobile solutions for the enterprise. The XAN is built on a two-tier model, with resellers purchasing from Xirrus authorized distributors, gaining substantial benefits, support, and deal opportunities to increase their wireless networking business. Differentiating the program, Xirrus has signed a distribution agreement in North America with Arrow Enterprise Computing Solutions, a business segment of Arrow Electronics Inc., that provides Xirrus resellers with presales technical support, order fulfillment management, bundled solutions, customized configurations, business planning, and flexible financing, along with other services.

The XAN channel partner program is designed to attract premier partners seeking world-class wireless technology for further development of their Wi-Fi business offerings. The program uses a single sign-on Partner Relationship Management (PRM) tool for all partner communications and interactions with Xirrus. It provides partners with powerful self-management and communication selection capabilities and eliminates the administrative burden for deal registration, special pricing approvals, and lead follow-up management of traditional partner programs. The PRM also positions the partner as an integral part of the Xirrus demand generation programs with fast access to sales-ready leads and opportunities. XAN channel partners have access to a wealth of sales tools like video case studies, industry and solution briefs, specialized channel-ready campaigns, vertical-marketing tools, a competitive TCO tool, and advanced competitive 802.11ac program pricing.

"For providers that introduce a program structure that rewards and recognizes channel partners (including resellers) for the value they bring to the business for investments in gaining competencies, specialization and vertical expertise, it is a very different model than the volume-based programs seen across the industry today," said Tiffani Bova, research vice president, Gartner. "By tying those competencies and specializations with partner levels, providers are able to clearly understand the true capabilities of their ecosystem without being distracted by sales volumes. At the end of the day, it is all about putting the right partners with the right skills in front of the right customers at the right time."(1)

"As the heavy load of BYOD and rich media crushes traditional wireless networks, we continue to see mounting interest in our high-performance WLAN solutions," said Shane Buckley, Xirrus CEO. "Xirrus looks forward to drawing from Arrow ECS's broad community of vertical-market solution providers to extend our market share across North America. This agreement aligns with our commitment to continue expanding the Xirrus Alliance Network Global Partner Program."

The XAN addresses a common issue with conventional reseller partner programs, in which new service introductions result in growing administrative complexity as well as revenue and margin erosion. By comparison, Xirrus has pioneered a single sign-on for all partner services using RelayWare: account management, quotes, deal registration, training, marketing development funds, and product information. With a single sign-on and one user interface, partners slash administrative time, increase productivity, and focus their efforts on sales and market development rather than administration. Furthermore, partners gain immediate access to Xirrus' Marketo marketing automation platform, an advanced software tool for channel-centric demand generation support and lead management.

The partner program leverages Xirrus' high-performance, award-winning WLAN technology that consistently appears on the top-three list of many prospective customers during their final decision-making process. Arrow ECS identifies Xirrus wireless technology as the linchpin in its partnership with Xirrus, and a catalyst for empowering resellers to increase market share.

"Adding Xirrus' high-performance WLAN technology suite to our strong network solutions portfolio strengthens Arrow ECS' leading position in the enterprise network access market," said Joe Burke, vice president, enterprise storage/security virtualization and networking, Arrow ECS North America. "Xirrus will enable our solution providers to deliver a high-performance WLAN offering for customers along the BYOD adoption curve, where mobile applications and cloud-access have 'cut the cord,' making the WLAN the customers' primary connection to their people, their resources, and the Internet."

Wick Hill joined the Xirrus Alliance Network last month as a United Kingdom and German distributor to deliver a powerful, scalable, and trusted wireless solution for their client base.

"Following the announcement of our EMEA distribution agreement with Xirrus last month, we are now very excited to join the Xirrus Alliance Network (XAN) channel partner program," stated Ian Kilpatrick, chairman of Wick Hill Group. "Many vendor channel partner programs are overly complex and require multiple login credentials for the individual channel sales and marketing support functions. The XAN channel partner program provides our VARs access to one easy-to-use integrated system."

For more information on the Xirrus Alliance Network, visit www.xirrus.com/partners or email us at xan@xirrus.com.

About Xirrus, Inc.
Xirrus is the leading provider of high-performance wireless networks. Xirrus' Array-based solutions perform under the most demanding circumstances with wired-like reliability and superior security. The Xirrus wireless solutions provide a vital strategic business and IT infrastructure advantage to the education, healthcare, government and enterprise industries that depend on wireless to operate business-critical applications. Headquartered in Thousand Oaks, CA, Xirrus is a privately held company that designs and manufactures its products and solutions in the USA. For more information please visit: http://www.xirrus.com/ and follow us on Twitter: @Xirrus.

Xirrus and XMS are trademarks or registered trademarks of Xirrus. Other trade names used in this document are or may be the property of their respective owners.

(1) Marketing Essentials: Five Trends Impacting Traditional Channel Programs, 2012; Tiffani Bova; Gartner; May 10, 2012