Ricky Cooper, who has now formally assumed the permanent role of VMware global channel chief, talked with ChannelBuzz at the VMware Explore event about the initiatives they have planned even before the newly announced changes to the partner program kick in early next year.
Vendor pledges expansion of sustainability-focused partner, new partner training and community hub at Amplify Executive Forum.
The Revenue Expansion with Veriff [REV] marks the company’s transition from a largely direct model, and is designed around accommodating flexibility in partner business models.
Jeff Tripp, who was previously director of North America channel sales for Dell’s networking business, was also named Skyhigh’s senior director of America’s channels.
Katie Bach takes the new position with the objective of expanding both partners and resources to drive MSP360 to its next phase of growth.
Extreme adds new badges around SLED, sports and entertainment and DEI, while making enhancements to training and customer service and adding a new Grant Writing Services capability.
Matt Hurley, Censys’ CRO, intends to build up the company’s channel from next to nothing to 80% by the end of next year, which will also include a Canadian channel presence.
All these new HPE announcements reflect the maturity of the partner ecosystem and the desire to pivot support around business models.
While HPE had some new program announcements at their Partner Growth Summit on Monday, they also reaffirmed the company’s strategy for partners, and laid out where they are headed.
The new program is heavily focused on training and accereditations, with both online and proctored formats.
DoControl, which is only a year old, is just exiting its proof of concept stage, so its channel is brand new, with GuidePoint Security being the most recognizable name among partners who have signed up.
Addeo wants the direct and channel sales forces to work more effectively together, and also wants to expand their channel presence beyond MSPs.
As Airtable sells to larger customers they are also looking to add larger partners, although the smaller consultants who have made up most of their channel will still play a key role.
The positive impact of technology during the pandemic give it an important role to play even if things get tough, CEO Chuck Robbins tells customers and partners at Cisco Live.
Volini described the proposed changes to the channel program as fundamental and ‘down to the studs,’ with the idea being to drive more partner business, particularly to non-traditional buyers.
Trellix has introduced their first set of sales plays to be used around their XDR capabilities, which will let partners do health checks and predictive analytics for customers.
The Leadership Summit highlights some specific initiatives, but the major focus is GitLab’s recent reconceptualization of its alliance and channel programs to get partners working more collaboratively with GitLab.
Apica has had a small channel that has accounted for a small percentage of their sales, but while the expanded channel they want will still be relatively small, they want it to bring in significantly more business.
A major theme running through the announcements is to make it easier for more types of partners to engage in higher level value-add activities with Fortinet.
The gains were similar to those in the U.S, which is impressive because the Interactive Flat Panel business is more advanced in the U.S. than in Canada.
