VMware to Update Partners with News Blog
Virtualization kingpin VMware (NYSE: VMW) has kicked off a new partner-centric blog, dubbed VMware Partner News Blog, a digest containing relevant information for the channel. The blog, which is designed to be used as a reference tool, is searchable by function, region, product, partner type and other categories, to help partners stay abreast of all things VMware.
The VMware Partner News Blog will run in tandem with the vendor’s existing Power of Partnership blog, a partner-focused site that provides more detailed channel-related news. Each article in the Partner News Blog will be tagged by some combination of eight categories — region, partner type, job function, news category, product/solution area, solution competency, accreditation or vertical — so partners can more readily find the content that fits their needs, officials said.
For example, the Partner News Blog currently has posted 13 blogs dating to Oct. 25, the most current of which, dated Nov. 7, refers channel partners to the VMware Cloud Index 2012, a survey of 6,500 IT leaders in Asia Pacfic conducted by Forrester Consulting to learn cloud practices.
Other recent blogs include a post about Solution Rewards now available for VMware’s new vCloud Suite and updated Solution Competency Guidelines, and information on a new customer survey delivered to half of the vendor’s customers with feedback requested by the end of November. VMware surveyed the other half of its customer base in June 2012, and data from that investigation led the vendor to remove vRAM pricing from vSphere — a move widely welcomed by its customers.
Other notices include a Q4 partner sales briefing; an SMB Cloud Market Opportunities Webcast; pre-registration for VMware Partner Exchange 2013; information on a vCloud Suite upgrade kit; hands-on training for VMware vCenter Operations Management Suite (partners completing the Management Competency by December 31, 2012 are eligible to receive a 40 percent discount on post-sales training and $1,500 for demand generation); and a post on Solution Track trainings.