5second - stock.adobe.com
HPE rolls out Partner Ready Vantage programme
The focus is very much on supporting an as-a-service shift that has happened across the vendor’s channel base
HPE has used its partner summit as a backdrop to unveil a fresh programme and a range of enhancements that should make life easier for its channel.
The vendor has announced the HPE Partner Ready Vantage programme as it looks to build on its previous Partner Ready offering and provide support for those taking the as-a-service approach. At the same time, the firm refreshed its partner portal and updated Partner Connect.
At the heart of the Vantage programme is a three-tiered approach (see box) that is supported by Centres of Excellence that help resellers line up behind areas that match up with their expertise. Partners can either have those skills or be in the process of moving towards developing a reputation in one or more of those spaces.
Partner Ready Vantage promises to provide more flexibility for the channel, with options to sell for on-premise, hybrid and cloud options. The vendor is expecting partners will lean on its GreenLake portfolio as they look to deliver more as-a-service technology.
“We value our partner ecosystem and are committed to investing in their success,” said George Hope, worldwide head of partner sales at HPE. “We believe in the power of collaboration to deliver the best solutions and services that help our partners unlock their full potential.
“As partners evolve their business models to meet the demands of customers today, they need a flexible programme that is designed to help them deliver – no matter how their customers are choosing to buy or what their priorities are,” he added.
“HPE Partner Ready Vantage enables partners to participate more fully across the entire customer lifecycle, and is optimised for our partners’ evolving business needs to accelerate their growth and enable their success.”
Unified programme
The firm has also bought together HPE and Aruba partners into a unified programme that again should make things more streamlined.
“We created the Centres of Excellence to help partners excel in an as-a-service world,” said Donna Grothjan, vice-president of worldwide channels for Aruba.
“We’ve taken a personal approach as we’ve developed all of the components of this new programme,” she said. “We were deliberate in including mentorship alongside a wealth of vital training and workshops for our partners.
“We’ve relied on global best practices as we’ve built out the program elements, all in an effort to help our partners extend and expand their practices, have faster time to activation, reduce churn and achieve higher-than-average renewal rates for customers.
The Vantage approach
The new programme has three tracks that the channel can get behind: Build, Sell and Service. Each is backed by Centres of Excellence that provide training, marketing and sales tools.
The Build Track is designed for partners to integrate with pre-packaged solutions from HPE and its technology partners, and to produce their own offerings.
The Sell Track is designed to help partners grow their as-a-service business by offering value-added solutions from across the HPE portfolio
The Service Track is designed specifically for partners focused on delivering services across the customer lifecycle, including consulting, assessment, design, integration, deployment, migration, support and management.
