The new framework aligns to today’s cloud, services and solutions-centric business models. It aims to help partners drive better business performance and profitability today while transforming their business for tomorrow.
VMware Partner Connect’s evolved programme delivers a flexible framework to support partners’ go to market with VMware, accelerate partner growth and reward partners for achievements and capabilities. VMware is delivering several immediate benefits, with additional capabilities and enhancements to be made available in the future.
The cloud service provider said it identified three core profit drivers that show up consistently within its most profitable partners: Services, Lifestyle Profit and Stickiness.
When comparing VMware’s most profitable partners to the worldwide averages, more than 80 per cent of revenue from their VMware practice is driven from services (cloud, managed, professional); services profit is 1.5x higher, and professional service days revenue is more than 2x higher, the company’s FY22 Partner Success Study found.
“VMware has applied learnings from thousands of partners to drive the next evolution of Partner Connect and help partners perform while they transform,” said Tracy-Ann Palmer, VP partner experience, programmes and investments, VMware.
“We now have one unified partner program that will be more flexible and efficient, with simpler paths to progression and more tools to help manage partners’ VMware business. We’re optimising incentives and programs to help partners take their SaaS and subscription businesses to another level and capitalise on cloud-centric business models and economics.”
VMware partners will benefit from a new flexible point system, simplified tiering, a business model orientation and add more self-service and automation for improved partner efficiency and profitability.
Partner Connect will reward partners for different ways they create value, including both performance and capability activities. Progression in the programme will be based on the new points system rather than a complex mix of IT pathways, VMware said.
Partners that progress to the new Pinnacle tier will experience greater financial benefits and VMware engagement, including managed account coverage, joint business plan development and access to big bets programmes.
Additionally, Partner Connect will now support four different business models under a single programme: Solution Services, Solution Builder, Cloud Solution Provider and Solution Reseller. VMware will deliver a new self-service dashboard that provides partners easy-to-access visibility into where they stand in the programme. Partners can track progression, incentives earned, competencies achieved and other valuable telemetry.
With the new Partner-Led Customer Success Specialisation, partners now have three options to execute Customer Success. They can build their own comprehensive offering through the Specialisation, collaborate with VMware on Customer Success activities, or resell VMware Success 360.
VMware has launched the Go-To-Market Play System (GPS) for partners to meet the twin goals of delivering customer outcomes and partner profitability. Centred on transformational business challenges (Strategy Plays) and discrete focused IT solutions (Velocity Plays), GPS provides defined solutions with unified enablement and incentives to increase value and reach, as well as digital marketing support.
The VMware Ignite partner practice activation and development programme will also be more broadly available to partners and is aligned with the GPS and partner-led services initiatives. The new VMware Ecosystem Solutions Partner Studio, which includes Solutions Lab and Solutions Hub, aims to empower partners to create and co-innovate on use-case-focused solutions to drive partner growth and global market differentiation.