Credit: HPE
Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) has announced changes to its Partner Ready Program with a slant towards supporting opportunities in the small- to medium-sized business (SMB) market segment.
Coming into effect from this month, the vendor claimed the fiscal year 2021 iteration of its program offers partners “a profitable compensation model, access to financial resources and robust enablement opportunities”.
For partners that service SMBs and mid-market businesses, HPE is offering promotions, as well as geography-specific incentives and bonuses through its HPE 'ENGAGE&GROW' and HPE Financial Services programs, although it has not yet specified what these offers will look like.
The vendor is also planning to expand co-selling opportunities between solution providers and service providers, which are to be made available through its Cloud28+ platform and community.
Partners will also gain access to artificial intelligence (AI)-powered proposals and robotic process automation (RPA) within the deals cycle. Referred to by HPE as the Primary Storage Opportunity Engine (PSOE), partners will be able to develop proposals containing approved quote, sizing and performance data ,and associated Infosight intelligence, among other features.
Distributor partners will also be able to create customised built-to-order (BTO) product configurations from HPE’s quoting tool, iQuote, at a currently unspecified discounted price, which can then be dispatched from distribution inventory.
Sales certifications are also set to be revamped with “a modern, intuitive, mobile-friendly and interactive experience” according to the vendor, with inbuilt learning checks allowing for partners to complete the certifications within HPE Sales Pro.
The vendor’s demo program will allow for partners to purchase their own demo equipment at unspecified discounts HPE labelled as “steep”, as well as new demo options and access to the HPE portfolio.
The HPE Demo Portal is also said to offer new clickable, simulator-based environments that offer users access to HPE solutions without the risk of failing.
Additionally, the vendor is also adding support to its HPE GreenLake service with an introduction and business planning workshop to assist partners with their as-a-service (aaS) strategy and their proficiency in selling HPE GreenLake.
Available for partners in the Asia Pacific and Japan region some time within the three months to January 2021, the workshops contain consultative sessions with HPE GreenLake transformation experts who provide advice on growth opportunities and HPE GreenLake service portfolio integration.
As for entry into the program itself, HPE does not plan to change revenue thresholds, sales and technical certifications, continuous learning requirements, or competency requirements during FY21.
This, according to a statement from the vendor, is to “maintain business consistency for partners focusing their efforts on driving growth”.
Julie Barbieri, general manager for partners, alliances and service providers for HPE South Pacific, said the partner program additions will mean “greater alignment and collaboration with the channel around key focus areas with increased investment from HPE for the channel to drive incremental business opportunity resulting in even greater benefits for our partners”.
“I believe the strategy and partner ready program presents an even greater opportunity for our partners to drive success with HPE in FY21,” she said.
These additions to HPE's partner program follow a swathe of financial relief measures to help partners cope with the coronavirus crisis, although the Asia Pacific region was initially excluded from the majority of the changes back in April.
A week later, the vendor had a change of heart and decided to offer more financial support measures for Australian and New Zealand partners. The updates to HPE’s partner program also follow the vendor’s move to shake up its local channel and alliance team, transforming it into a new-look business.
This saw it bring territory sales leader Simone Filetti step into a new role to head up the unit. Meanwhile it is understood that commercial and public sector enterprise territory manager Nathalie Barsoum has left her role, according to a LinkedIn update.
