Jamf stepping up channel enablement

Apple device management specialist Jamf is stepping up its partner enablement to help increase the volume of business coming via the channel.

With hybrid working and bring-your-own-device (BYOD) favouring more Apple sales, the firm has been reacting with efforts this year to expand its channel reach beyond its established Apple partner base to work with more managed service providers and security specialists.

Those efforts have been running through most of this year, but as thoughts turn to plans for 2024, the focus for Abdul Terry, manager of channel sales at Jamf, is to increase the enablement it provides partners.

Terry has an ambition to put even more business through the channel, with it currently sitting at 90% plus, and hoped increasing support would help drive that towards 100%.

The focus on MSP and security is also continuing as the firm looks to work with more partners in those areas.

“The managed security aspect to it is critically important, and we want to make sure our partners understand that proposition and we are supporting partners in articulating value,” he said.

Terry said that Jamf had a clear role in enabling partners around services and demonstrating value, adding that it would be stepping up its support to help drive more sales.

“We enable them to stay on the same page, collaborating with partners around the globe, tackling pain points to make sure that all solutions are articulating the benefits to customers and we all work together,” he said.

He added that it had worked with the channel to pitch services at a high level in customers and that was reaping dividends.

“We added engagement at the C-level and our sales aspect. So, the work we’re doing has seen a significant uplift in the past few years, but there’s always more to do – even more now that we’re focusing on what is important in partners,” he said.

“Understanding my channel is important because they enable in a different way and help go to market in a different way. That’s been the evolution over the past three years to really get to know our partners,” he added.

Terry takes a view that enablement will be a major theme across the channel next year and will be seen as a valuable source of vendor support.

“In 2024, partner programmes will no longer be underpinned by discounts, but instead will give way to comprehensive enablement strategies,” he said.

“In the upcoming year, customers will completely change the metrics on which they evaluate partner success. Customers will place more value on efficient enablement programmes due to the fierce competition seen for skilled individuals,” he added.

“Partner success will be measured on partner adaptability and agility. In 2024, partners must keep pace with cloud innovation and with competition from born-in-the-cloud independent software vendors [ISVs].

“The opportunities in automation and AI software tools especially demand agility. Failure to do so will result in customers moving to partners who do keep pace with technological evolution,” he concluded.