AvePoint unveils unified global partner program

Jason Beal (AvePoint)

Cloud software vendor AvePoint is launching its first unified global partner program for all new and existing partners, expanding on its previous collection of region-specific programs.  

Headquartered in New Jersey, US, AvePoint provides migration, cloud management, security and backup software. The independent software vendor’s (ISV’s) cloud platform is certified against security accreditations, and it claims to have one of the largest software-as-a-service (SaaS) customer bases in the Microsoft 365 ecosystem. 

In November last year, AvePoint unveiled plans to go public via a merger with Apex Technology Acquisition Corporation in a deal which values the Microsoft specialist at approximately $2 billion. On 2 July, the company began trading publicly on the NASDAQ under the ticker AVPT. 

With the public listing and the additional funds it brings comes a concerted effort by the company to engage the channel ecosystem globally. The unified global channel program has been in the works for some time.

Late last year, AvePoint appointed former Palo Alto Networks global distribution channel senior director Jason Beal as its new global channel and partner ecosystems senior vice president. The company was at the time talking openly about its impending global channel program, although no detail had then been released. 

In June, however, AvePoint Public Sector partner enablement program manager Sam Valme provided some additional detail about the planned program.  

As noted by Valme, the program is for managed service providers (MSPs), value-added resellers (VARs), cloud consultants and DevOps partners, and it is structured with two core tiers of support: Invested Partners and Authorised Partners. 

The higher-level tier provides additional support, resources and discounts for top partners that build their businesses around AvePoint technology. It also includes a partner advisory council to help shape future program developments and a community champions program to help spotlight important partner voices in AvePoint thought leadership materials.    

It is hoped that, through the partner program, AvePoint will enable partners to maximise the full economic potential of its technology and capitalise on digital collaboration opportunities.  

Under the program, AvePoint will provide product discounts, quarterly sales rebates, success plan co-funding and deal registration incentives.  

AvePoint has also added technical resources across the globe that will be available for personalised training and onboarding.   

Moreover, AvePoint will provide 24/7, 365 days of the year live support and portal access so that partners have quality assistance and access to resources when they need them, in real-time.  

Additionally, the vendor will offer MSPs the ability to co-build products and services for their customers. This will allow partners to meet their customers' needs and secure higher margins. At the same time, AvePoint will offer expert content, including comprehensive go-to-market kits. AvePoint will also provide co-selling support to help its partners close new business opportunities. 

“The Microsoft ecosystem presents a huge economic opportunity for partners who can build purpose-driven services around it with AvePoint technologies,” said Beal. 

“The number of Microsoft Teams active users increased by more than 100 million since the start of the pandemic, with many of those organisations forced to rush through their digital transformations without having all of their security, compliance or data retention plans in place.  

“That is an attractive opportunity for partners who can help consolidate and protect and govern data from exposure and loss,” he added. 

Along with the continued focus on its channel operations, AvePoint is also expanding its cloud marketplace presence and offerings. On this front, it is introducing a new product bundle for collaboration security and new product offerings including Google Workplace backup and Cense, a licence management tool designed to help IT admin increase agility.  

AvePoint collaboration security solutions can be accessed at leading distributors across more than 60 countries and 100 cloud marketplaces, the company said.