Dell Technologies modernises partner program

Shant Soghomonian

Dell Technologies is focused on strengthening collaboration and streamlining its channel experience as part of a partner program refresh.

For its 2023 Partner Program, Dell reflected on how partners are going to market and where its priorities are from a customer, partner and business perspective, according to Dell Technologies A/NZ general manager Shant Soghomonian.

“These are incremental improvements to the overall program,” he told ARN. 

“In Australia and New Zealand, we’ve seen the Dell Technologies partner ecosystem take the lead as an earlier trendsetter in driving consumption-based outcome models to customers with [flagship as-a-service portfolio] APEX.”

Last year Dell announced it was harmonising its partner structure, placing solution providers, cloud service providers (CSPs) and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) under one incentive scheme, one tier structure and one set of tier requirements. This has now been brought into action in 2023. 

Last September, Dell extended global partner resell availability for APEX to  Australia and New Zealand.

Enhancements to the APEX partner opportunity have been brought into the program including simplifying its incentive structure via an APEX+ category for all incentive-eligible solutions. This also now includes Dell APEX Flex on Demand and Dell APEX outcome-based offers. 

Rebates and earned marketing development funds will also apply across the full category for eligible partners.

An APEX competency has also been added to the mix for partners to learn the portfolio and while they get up-to-speed on this competency, all metal-tiered partners will be eligible for base rebates on APEX+ offerings.

Partners can also now deploy select Dell APEX solutions on their own terms with the launch of partner deployment. 

A 7 per cent rebate is also on the table for Asset Recovery Services, which helps customers responsibly and securely retire legacy IT equipment.

“In 2023, ESG [environmental, social and governance] strategies will continue to play an important role in the procurement decision-making process," Soghomonian said.

"We understand that our partners want to work with environmentally friendly and sustainable companies, as do their customers, so changes to our Asset Recovery Services will be welcome."

Persona-based training has also been launched to help partners ramp up faster. This features three tracks: Foundation for people new in their career; Develop for people new to Dell technology and Technical, which is aimed at those looking to enhance their skills further. 

Partner experience is also a central focus of the program and this has led towards enhancing the purchasing experience with pre-configured server and storage bundles, increased pricing transparency and expedited ordering.

“Looking at the IT industry’s total addressable market, it’s clear that there are still massive opportunities for us to tackle – new customer problems to solve, new capabilities to discover, and new skills to master,” Dicker Data Dell Technologies business manager Amir Kalil said.

“Dell’s portfolio, program and partnership, combined with our expertise and services, position us to tackle new market opportunities in 2023 and beyond.” 

According to Dell global channel chief Rola Dagher, during the third quarter of the year, partners delivered approximately 50 per cent of overall net revenue and accelerated double-digit storage growth.

“With this momentum behind us, we recognise that consistency is key,” she said. “We are setting higher standards to support partners, grow and modernise Dell's core business, and create market opportunities.”

“We continue to strengthen collaboration and streamline the partner experience, all while holding to our commitment to leverage Dell technology to drive human progress. Our partner program is designed to help partners make the most of the opportunities ahead.”