Red Hat cuts ribbon on customer-led channel programme

Red Hat has unveiled an enhanced partner programme, with the emphasis on making it easier to tap into rewards and support.

The vendor has outlined a fresh partner framework, called the Partner Practice Accelerator Programme, that is designed to reward those that deliver against customer expectations as it looks to get in line with where the overall market is heading.

According to IDC, the vast majority (70%) of vendors will have a customer-led ecosystem by 2025 to make sure users are supplied with solutions, services and deployment that meets their needs.

Red Hat is hoping a modular programme will provide partners – including those that sell into the mid-market and SME segments – with flexibility, and reward those that can demonstrate a track record of holding technical credentials and meeting customer demands.

The invitation-only programme will arrive in the second-half of the year, but already there are some partners that have completed professional services certification and are currently participating in the Partner Practice Accelerator Programme, including Li9 Technology Solutions, Linux Plus, Sekom and Stone Door Group.

The vendor is making investments to make sure the programme works, including a Demo Platform that will be available from May, that will provide on-demand product demonstrations that partners can walk customers through.

The Demo Platform can be accessed through Red Hat Partner Connect, which is being used as the location for partners to tap into the latest enhancements, along with marketing, training and support materials.

Stefanie Chiras, senior vice-president of Partner Ecosystem Success at Red Hat, said that it wanted the programme changes to grab attention across the channel.

“This latest evolution of Red Hat’s partner engagement model sends a clear signal to our partners that Red Hat is prioritising the ecosystem as the leading catalyst for customer value,” she said.

“To deliver on the promise of hybrid cloud with customers, it is critical that we innovate collectively and transparently, and empower partners with easy access to information and shared data so we can address our customers’ unique challenges as a united front,” she added.

Steve White, programme vice-president of channels and alliances at IDC, said that evolving a partner programme along customer-led lines made sense.

“The intent behind the changes are well-founded and facilitate simpler and more flexible partner engagement. Red Hat has put the partner ecosystem at the centre, and supporting partner-facing tools, incentives and alignment with sales will all be aligned to create a better partner experience. There are further improvements planned to support this approach, and we’re excited to see the partner impact.”