VMware is updating its partner program to boost margins for many of its emerging technology platforms -- including NSX (network virtualization) Virtual SAN (VSAN), according to Channel Chief Ross Brown. An "auto approve" deal registration system should also speed deal flow, he added.
During an interview with ChannelE2E, Brown described VMware's need to reward partners that embrace NSX, VSAN and several other emerging offerings. During the early days of server virtualization, he noted, the benefits of vSphere were obvious to partners and customers. But NSX and VSAN require more education and more investment to make sure partners and customers clearly understand the benefits, he conceded.
A case in point: When partners and customers see NSX's ability to improve network security -- essentially, creating dedicated security on a per-node basis -- the technology typically earns rave reviews, he asserted. Partners that take the time to master those types of conversations and solutions deserve better margins, he added.
"Our new products have even more compelling value -- but sometimes they're not as obvious to the casual observer," he added. "We're shifting from products where customers drove purchases to products that partners actively sell."
The improved margins will ensure small partners are on a level playing field with large partners, he added. Plus, a new "auto-approved" model on deal registration will ensure partners can move more rapidly to begin projects and drive revenue. Deeper details about the enhanced margins are expected to surface sometime today on VMware's official channel partner blog.
Ross has spent several months building out the partner program enhancements. In April 2016, he told ChannelE2E that the enhanced program would debut sometime in the second half of 2016. And during a ChannelE2E podcast in June, he described how software will unlock a new round of partner opportunities in the months ahead.
