For partners to capture the multi-cloud opportunity, next evolution of VMware Partner Connect Program goes live.
VMware has announced the next evolution of the company’s flagship VMware Partner Connect program is live worldwide. Partner Connect is a singular, unified program for all partner types that is now more flexible and efficient, provides faster and simpler paths to progression, delivers more incentives, and rewards partners for both performance and capabilities. Through Partner Connect, VMware is empowering partners to drive growth by helping their customers successfully navigate the multi-cloud era.
As organizations move from an environment of ‘cloud chaos’ to a cloud smart approach, there is a significant and immediate opportunity for partners to help their customers accelerate migration of applications to the right cloud, automate and secure the software supply chain, and rein in control of spend on private and public cloud infrastructure. VMware, together with its partners, will tackle each of these problems by supporting critical business outcomes such as accelerating app modernization, enabling enterprise cloud transformation, and securing the hybrid workforce.
“Through Partner Connect, we are reinventing the VMware partner experience. Our strategy is for every VMware partner to own the customer lifecycle end-to-end, leading with services, partnering with others, and building predictable, recurring revenue streams,” said Tracy-Ann Palmer, Vice President, Global Channel Sales Programs and Compliance, VMware.
“The transformation we see VMware delivering in the Partner Connect program is a recognition of these macro trends. By bringing everything together under one VMware program with a more simplified experience, VMware can help partners transition to as-a-service/subscription models, expand their services portfolios, and better leverage their investments to the fullest. This continued evolution will drive changes in how the VMware partners engage their customers, where and how they create value, and how they interact with an increasingly connected ecosystem,” said Steve White, VP Channels & Alliances, IDC.
Optimized for partner profitability, Partner Connect now better supports today’s cloud-, services-, and solutions-centric business models, aligns partner enablement, practice development, and incentives to critical business outcomes, and opens more opportunities to create value across the complete customer life cycle – pre, during, and post sales. This is one program platform for all partner business models, connecting partner programs and value-added activities in one universal point system. New structure recognizes, aggregates, and rewards partner accomplishments across transactions, service delivery, capabilities, and specializations, and supports partners however they choose to go to market, whether via one business model or several.
Partners can earn points for achievements in both training and innovation, from foundational capabilities to differentiated services and IP. It offers a completely overhauled partner dashboard that provides a robust, self-service experience enabling partners to customize views so they know exactly where they stand across program metrics at any time. Partners can easily track history, performance, and progress toward capabilities, specializations, and next level availability.
Customer success depends on a connected ecosystem. No one company can solve all a customer’s needs alone. Through four distinct business models, VMware has created an interconnected and diverse Partner Connect program enabling more partner-to-partner collaboration to help customers become cloud smart and achieve outcomes faster. Partners can participate in one or more business models, with each model opening a door to more incentives and even faster program progression. Supported business models now include:
VMware offers partners 14 Solutions Competencies, 8 Master Services Competencies, and two Specializations partners use to close larger, higher margin deals faster. Partners can now earn capability points toward program progression based on their investment in training, competencies, and certifications.
