StorTrends, the network data storage product line from industry veteran American  Megatrends, Inc. (AMI), today announced it has been awarded a 5-Star rating in the CRN 2014 Partner Program Guide. The annual directory is the definitive listing of technology vendors  that service solution providers or provide products through the IT channel. The  5-Star Partner Program rating recognizes an elite subset of companies that  offer solution providers the best partnering elements in their channel  programs.

With more than a decade of channel experience, AMI understands that its partners are the root of the company’s success. StorTrends provides superior support, outstanding product performance, protected deals and margins for channel partners for long-term success.

StorTrends delivers performance hybrid and all-flash storage appliances with proven value for the channel and its customers. StorTrends products include traditional spinning disk, SSD Hybrid, and Full Flash SAN and NAS units at the most aggressive price points in the storage industry. All StorTrends appliances are shipped with an all-inclusive, enterprise-class feature set including a proprietary WAN Optimization engine, Auto-Tiering and Advanced Snapshots. Unlike most storage vendors, all storage devices in the StorTrends product line integrate seamlessly with each other to provide users with the most customizable and cost-effective storage solution possible.

The StorTrends PROFIT partner program provides organizations with the marketing tools necessary to effectively promote, pitch and sell StorTrends products. This program is also designed to educate partner sales teams and their customers on the benefits of solutions. Some key features of the StorTrends PROFIT Partner Program include an easy to use Opportunity Registration Program with generous incentives and rebates, opportunities for local events such as “Steak & Storage” Lunch & Learn events, flexible marketing development funds (MDF) that can be used towards advertising, events and branding, comprehensive marketing collateral such as web-ready art, document templates and joint press releases, sales performance incentive funds (SPIF), sales incentive programs (SIP), free product evaluations to help get StorTrends products in the hands of interested buyers, dedicated sales and technical contacts, outstanding technical support and training for partners and customers.

To determine the 2014 5-Star recipients, The Channel Company’s Research team assessed each vendor’s application based on investments in program offerings, partner profitability, partner training, education and support, marketing programs and resources, sales support and communication.

“Solution providers have a lot of choices when it comes to selecting vendor partners. Identifying the right vendor, with the right technologies, and the right approach can make all the difference,” said Robert Faletra, CEO, The Channel Company. “Our annual Partner Program Guide and 5-Star rating recognizes the very best channel programs available in the market today to help solution providers determine which vendor delivers the best partner elements for their individual business goals.”

”AMI is very pleased to receive this award from CRN in recognition of the highly attractive StorTrends PROFIT Partner Program.” commented Subramonian Shankar, AMI President and CEO. “This award reflects our constant effort to listen to the needs of our channel partners and continually refine the program and support we offer them. This channel-first approach reflects the same spirit of continual progress and refinement that we bring to our class-leading StorTrends Hybrid and All-Flash arrays.”

The 2014 Partner Program Guide will be featured on CRN.com and the 5-Star Partners listing will be highlighted in the April issue of CRN.