StarLink Joins Riverbed Value Added Distributor Program

StarLink to Resell Riverbed's Application Performance Platform to Maximize Performance for Customers with Hybrid IT Environments

Dubai, UAE - June 24, 2015 - StarLink, the region's trusted "True" Value-Added-Distributor (VAD), announced today it has joined the Riverbed® Performance Value Added Distributor (VAD) Program. The Riverbed VAD program is a value-based model, showcasing VAD partners that deliver value-added services in addition to logistical distribution. The VAD program enables StarLink to build closer relationships with resellers and provide high-value services and support so resellers can ensure their customers get the full benefit of the Riverbed Application Performance PlatformTM in performance-engineering their hybrid enterprise for maximum application and business performance.

Today, hybrid architectures and SaaS applications bring significant benefits to organizations-agility/time to market, cost savings, flexibility-but also bring challenges, such as the complexity of multiple clouds, networks, service providers, and SLAs, plus end users everywhere, and hundreds of applications (including SaaS apps like Salesforce, Microsoft Azure/Office 365, and Amazon Web Services) that need to be managed and delivered across complex networks. In a hybrid IT world, where applications, data and the people who use them are everywhere, Riverbed offers the most complete platform for visibility, optimization, and control that turns maximum application performance into maximum business performance.

StarLink is acclaimed as the largest and fastest growing "True" Value-added Distributor across the Middle East, Turkey and Africa regions with on-the-ground presence in 14 countries. With its innovate Framework, StarLink is also recognized as a "Trusted Advisor" to over 1000 enterprise and government customers that use one or more of StarLink's best-of-breed and market-leading technologies, sold through its Channel network of over 250 Partners. The StarLink Solutions Lifecycle helps Channel Partners differentiate offerings, and assists customers to identify key risks and define priorities for addressing IT gaps relating to compliance, next-generation threat protection, IT optimization and operational intelligence.

"Riverbed is the clear industry leader in application performance, and a significant addition to our portfolio," said Nidal Othman, Managing Director at StarLink. "Our team is looking forward to building upon Riverbed's existing success and delivering its best-of-breed product portfolio to even more enterprise and government customers."

StarLink was invited by Riverbed to join the VAD Program, has met the Program requirements and has a valid, mutually executed Distributor Agreement with Riverbed. Having met these requirements, StarLink is eligible to receive the program benefits as an authorized VAD Partner, including that the VAD is eligible to buy and sell Riverbed products and distribute Riverbed products to Authorized Riverbed Performance Partners within a defined territory.

"Riverbed and its partner network are focused on investing in an entire portfolio of products to help our joint customers implement the Riverbed Application Performance Platform - the only platform that can detect and cure application and data delivery performance problems before end user's even notice," said Taj Elkhayat, Regional Vice President, Middle East and Africa, at Riverbed. "We are excited to partner with Starkink as we rationalize and improve our distribution landscape in Middle East and Africa. Through the Riverbed VAD program, our distributors benefit from being positioned to increase their bottom line and our partners benefit by working with the industry's most qualified Riverbed distributors to maximize the performance of their evolving IT infrastructure and add value to our joint customers."

Riverbed's partners are part of the Riverbed Performance Partner Network, a diverse ecosystem of 3,000 partners worldwide. Riverbed works closely with these industry-leading technology resellers, distributors, service providers and integrators to deliver innovative solutions that solve complex business problems, open new markets and create new revenue opportunities.