The newly upgraded VMware Partner Connect program has officially launched, offering enhanced partner support, practice development, and lifecycle incentives that align more closely with key customer business outcomes.
VMware (NYSE: VMW), a global leader in enterprise software innovation, recently announced the global rollout of its upgraded flagship partner program, VMware Partner Connect. This comprehensive program, designed for all partners, is now more flexible and efficient. It provides faster and simpler upgrade paths, additional incentives, and rewards partners based on performance and capabilities. Through the Partner Connect program, VMware supports partner business growth and helps customers navigate the multi-cloud era successfully.
As businesses transition from “cloud chaos” to “cloud smart,” partners have the opportunity to assist customers in accelerating application migrations to the right clouds, automating their software supply chains, and ensuring security while managing costs across private and public cloud infrastructures. VMware will collaborate with partners to address these challenges by supporting customers’ key business objectives, such as accelerating application modernization, driving enterprise cloud transformation, and ensuring hybrid work security.
Tracy-Ann Palmer, VMware’s Vice President of Global Channel Sales Programs and Compliance, stated, “With the Partner Connect program, we are reshaping the VMware partner experience. Every VMware partner can now provide end-to-end lifecycle support to customers, with a service-led approach that builds predictable, recurring revenue streams through collaboration.”
Steve White, IDC’s Vice President of Channel and Alliances, noted, “We are seeing a shift in the market today. For customers, it’s not just about digital transformation but digital leadership. This ongoing change will transform how VMware partners engage with customers, where and how they create value, and how they interact with an increasingly connected ecosystem. VMware’s evolution in the Partner Connect program reflects this macro trend. By consolidating everything into a single, streamlined program, VMware helps partners transition to service/subscription models, expand their service portfolios, and fully leverage their investments.”
Driving Revenue and Business Growth through Multi-Cloud Opportunities
The Partner Connect program has been optimized for partner profitability and now better supports cloud, service, and solution-focused business models. It aligns partner support, practice development, and incentives with key customer business outcomes, offering more opportunities to create value throughout the customer lifecycle (pre-sales, sales, and post-sales). Key updates to the VMware Partner Connect program include:
- Flexible and Unified Point System: A plan platform for all partner business models, connecting partner programs and value-added activities through a universal point system. This system supports new architecture recognition and aggregation, rewarding partners for achievements in transactions, service delivery, capabilities, and expertise, while accommodating various go-to-market approaches.
- Rewarding Partner Investment and Capabilities: Specific project-based evaluation criteria now reward and provide benefits to partners as they develop their VMware business and upgrade within the Partner Connect program. Achievements in training, differentiated services, and intellectual property can earn partners points.
- New Automated Insights: The revamped partner dashboard offers a powerful self-service experience, allowing partners to customize views and accurately track their status against program metrics. Partners can easily monitor history, performance, and progress in capabilities, expertise, and advancement to the next level.
- Expanded Practice Development: VMware Ignite is a mature partner practice activation and development program, now open to partners using various market development approaches. Ignite has helped thousands of partners build capabilities and accelerate growth with its unique structured end-to-end practice development framework, balancing strict timelines with flexibility.
- Partner Business Models Aligned with Customer Outcomes: Success depends on an interconnected ecosystem, and no single company can meet all customer needs alone. VMware’s Partner Connect program supports a diverse set of partner business models, enabling more collaboration to help customers achieve cloud intelligence and faster business outcomes. Partners can engage in one or more business models, each offering additional incentives and faster upgrades. Supported business models include:
- Solution Providers: Selling VMware software and services to customers.
- Solution Service Providers: Offering services before and after sales, focusing on pre-sales consulting and post-sales lifecycle support.
- Cloud Solution Providers: Providing VMware-based cloud and management services, including hybrid and multi-cloud services, by region.
- Solution Builders: Integrating VMware technology into their own software products.
Rewarding Partners through Lifecycle Incentives
VMware is offering additional incentives aligned with VMware Cross-Cloud services. Transitioning to SaaS and subscription services helps VMware partners shift from transactional sales to high-margin, recurring sales. With the new Partner Incentive History Tracker, partners can review their total payments from previous quarters to better understand profit-maximizing opportunities and identify missed chances. New enhanced incentives for qualified partners include:
- Sales Incentives: Backend rebate programs that reward partners for selling SaaS, subscription, and authorized software, with VMware now paying 2-10 times the authorized bookings for SaaS and subscription sales.
- Activation Rewards: Incentives for partners providing professional services to help customers transition to public cloud and activate and use VMware Cross-Cloud services.
- Deployment Rewards: Rewards for partners using specific VMware solutions for application modernization and multi-cloud to accelerate customer digital transformation.
Influence Performance Points for Non-Transactional Partners
Previously, partners could only earn tier points through transactional bookings and upgrades in the Partner Connect program. Now, non-transactional partners registered as solution service providers can earn performance points through influence bookings, enhancing their tier status. Solution service providers offer pre-sales and post-sales services, mainly focusing on consulting and lifecycle support.
Rich Training and Solution Certifications Unlock More Opportunities
VMware offers partners 14 solution competency certifications, 8 master-level service competency certifications, and 2 professional certifications. Partners can use these certifications to close larger, more profitable deals more quickly. Partners can now earn capability points and advance based on their investment in training, capabilities, and certifications.