Coronavirus: Extreme Networks adds LEAP to support partners

Extreme Networks has continued to increase the support it can offer partners during the Covid-19 pandemic, adding more financial aid for the channel.

The firm has already made life easier for partners by increasing support with updates to its certifications and rebates to provide resellers with flexibility to earn rewards and maintain their status.

It has followed that up by introducing its Lending Enablement and Assistance Programme (LEAP).

From now until the end of 30 September, the firm will use LEAP to provide preferential financial terms for qualified partners across Europe and the Americas to help keep customer orders flowing and the cash coming in for the channel.

LEAP includes a number of initiatives to help partners, including on the financial front: deferring the first payment up to 180 days, which could potentially move the first payment into next year, designed to free up cashflow.

The vendor has also reduced growth rebate targets for partners, with the Diamond Growth Rebate down by five points year on year. Partners who deliver at 115% or higher will now be rebate eligible. 

Those concerned about maintaining their partner status will be relieved to see that LEAP has a number of features to help them remain in place until 2021. Extreme is providing free certification training for the next few months.

All partner-level training requirements are being extended to the end of June. Current partner levels will be valid through to December 2020 and the next levelling review will be performed in January 2021.

“Our channel partners are the heart of our business,” said Wes Durow, chief marketing officer at Extreme Networks. “As such, Extreme has taken proactive steps to ensure our partners can continue to deliver business-critical networking solutions to customers today while preserving working capital.

“Through our LEAP programme, qualified partners can take advantage of flexible, low-interest financing, deferred payments and free training, as well as reduced growth rebate targets, extended partner levelling requirements and training deadlines, so they can not only survive, but thrive in these uncertain times.”

Extreme shared the thoughts of J Dee Flamming, president of Solid IT Networks, who will be aiming to take advantage of LEAP.

“Covid-19 has had a tremendous impact on our economy,” he said. “Extreme’s LEAP programme provides a much-needed lifeline for our customers, allowing them to press forward with mission-critical networking projects where they otherwise couldn’t.”

An increasing number of vendors have started to increase the financial support they can provide partners, having first reacted to the coronavirus by lifting certification and rebate restrictions.

Last week, Dell revealed that it was being particularly flexible with marketing and business development funds.

Joyce Mullen, president of global channel, embedded and edge solutions at Dell Technologies, said the company had reacted to make sure partners could continue to meet customer needs.

“We know that customers need technology right now, but many organisations need more flexible repayment terms, and our partners may need help managing cash flow or end-user credit risk,” she said in a blog post.