Energy management specialist Schneider Electric has taken the wraps off a new channel partner structure featuring two levels of commitment for engaging with the vendor—a setup that already has attracted the interest of several high-profile partners signing on to the program.

Schneider’s EcoStruxure channel program is segmented by Alliance partners and Technology partners, representing different levels of interaction and involvement with the vendor. Alliance partners are Schneider’s highest level and can join only by invitation.

Schneider refers to its EcoStruxure banner as a solutions ecosystem, an umbrella approach for taking multiple, siloed systems and adapting them to an integrated solution, reducing redundancy in equipment, software and personnel.

Right out of the gate, Cisco Systems (CSCO) and IBM (IBM) signed on to the program to team with Schneider on joint solutions to solve mutual customers’ complex efficiency and sustainability challenges, officials said.

Through the Alliance program, Schneider plans to interact with partners on joint research and development, and sales and marketing programs while peppering in executive involvement to support the association. Schneider said it will rely on its Alliance partners to collaborate and engage strategically on innovative solutions and technology development and go-to-market strategies around energy efficiency.

A second wing of Schneider’s augmented channel program is for Technology partners—a designation not as involved as Alliance partners—and oriented toward solutions development. Technology partners essentially are third-party providers collaborating with Schneider to craft solutions to enhance the EcoStruxure architecture and improve interoperability and efficiency.

Early adopters of Schneider’s Technology partner program include: Alcatel-Lucent (ALU), Belden, Cisco, Ekahau, Esri, HMS Industrial Networks, IBM, Intel (INTC), JouleX (a recent Cisco acquisition), KGS Buildings, Niobrara Research and Development, OSIsoft, Sage Electrochromics and Verdiem.

Schneider is offering Technology partners its “StruxureWare Tested and Approved” stamp of approval, the company’s highest level of endorsement for software integrations validated through the partnership program. Members of the program develop their products to comply with Schneider Electric’s standards and submit them to the company’s labs for testing and approval. Software products that meet the StruxureWare Tested and Approved requirements qualify to display the StruxureWare Tested and Approved logo.

Schneider is relatively new to channel partner programs. Just last August, the company opened a new energy management channel program to arm partners to sell its energy management solutions—the centerpiece of which is the StruxureWare Operations software—to data center customers, contending that the market for those products and services is about to explode.

Schneider’s channel program features: a Software Partner program, an SMB Solutions and Design Tool, Specialized Learning Paths, extra physical infrastructure-focused functions in the StruxureWare Operations v7.2 software, and an online data center community to offer channel partners a single point of access to energy management education programs, knowledge, forums and solutions.