Blue Coat Intros Program for Professional Services Partners
Application delivery networking provider Blue Coat Systems has introduced a program that strives to help partners make more money by expanding into professional services. Here are some quick details.
The BlueTouch Professional Services Partner Program offers a palette of services that certified partners can add to their roster, including network design, installation and configuration of Blue Coat products; testing and migration from staging to production-ready environments; migration and upgrades; and management and monitoring.
The program, available to all Channel Advantage Program Premium and Elite partners, also enables partners to act as subcontractors to Blue Coat in those professional services engagements the company manages.
There are two levels to the Professional Services Partner program: BlueTouch Professional Services Partner and Master BlueTouch Professional Services Partner. Partners also can achieve certifications in visibility, acceleration and security specializations for application delivery networking.
Certified BlueTouch Professional Services Consultants must be certified in the acceleration specialization and at least one other, while certified BlueTouch Professional Services ADN Architects must be certified in all three specializations and have proven lab experience with Blue Coat products, according to the company.
Key Observations
On the surface this sounds like a good thing for partners. Blue Coat has a reputation among partners as a solid company with a good product line. Enabling its partners to take the next step in becoming that trusted adviser with Blue Coat’s back shows a level of confidence for both the company’s product and partners.
True, there is probably some segment of Blue Coat partners that have always provided these services. But having the label of a BlueTouch Professional Services Partner can only help the reputation of solution providers who are already performing these services or are looking to enhance their relationship with their customers. The big issue, then is whether it’s worth the time, energy and money to achieve these certifications. If application delivery networking is a big deal, then the answer is obvious.
