Channel Chief 'GOAT' Frank Rauch Retires, Hailed For Driving Colossal Partner-Vendor Sales Growth

by Steven Burke, CRN

Frank Rauch, a channel chief stalwart who over the course of four decades delivered win-win partnerships that powered astronomical partner-vendor sales growth, is retiring.

Rauch, a fiery channel advocate who delivered game-changing channel scenarios time and time again for Compaq, HP, VMware and others, is stepping aside as global channel chief of Cato Networks and will work in an advisory role over the next few months.

The Rauch channel stock in trade was his ability to craft win-win partnerships built on trust, respect and a commitment to long-standing relationships and friendships. That formula led to big gains in partner sales and profitability and dramatic sales gains for vendors that could never have been achieved without leveraging the sales muscle of partners.

Joe Koenig, president of World Wide Technology, the $20 billion solution provider powerhouse, called Rauch a "channel visionary" who had a profound impact on the channel ecosystem and WWT. "If you look at HP and VMware alone, we grew that business because of his partnership—$1 billion-plus based on his channel involvement and his partnership with WWT," he said.

"It starts with Frank as a person," said Koenig, who has teamed with Rauch for three decades. "First, he is a good person who is driven by values that are second to none. He builds relationships. He is not in it for a one-hit wonder. He is in it for the long haul, and he builds these long-term relationships that stand the test of time."

Koenig said those long-lasting relationships helped change the partner ecosystem as Rauch moved from teaming with partners on hardware sales at Compaq and HP to the software virtualization boom at VMware and finally on to the security software channel with Check Point Software Technologies and Cato Networks.

"Frank is a very forward-thinking and innovative channel chief," said Koenig. "He thinks about not just how things are working today, but how they should be working tomorrow and how he can bring the best of people and companies together for a broader solution with a win-win attitude for the partner, the OEM and the customer. That forward-thinking and innovative approach separates him from so many others. He is just a channel-friendly person that is always willing to be creative and innovative to ensure the channel is always involved with the companies he represents."

Ultimately, it was the "trust" that Rauch brought to each and every partner and OEM relationship that made the difference, said Koenig.