Unify unveiled changes to its channel partner program this week, part of the company’s efforts to transition to a software and services-driven provider of unified communications and—wait for it—unify its channel partner base.

The crux of the new partner program is its focus on creating a consistent, global image for partners in various regions around Unify’s UC services portfolio. The company is especially determined to establish itself as a partner-centric organization, with a program that establishes a framework to better address individual partners’ go-to-market strategies, according to Jon Pritchard, the executive vice president of Worldwide Channels at Unify.

“Our channel partners are our lifeblood. We want to make it easy for them to quickly increase revenue, and expand their business with Unify as we look to develop long-term relationships with them,” said Pritchard, in a statement. “Our new program provides a clear path for partners to increase their expertise and, hence, the value they bring to the customer. We’re committed to being the UC partner of choice by delivering a channel program that drives global consistency and an excellent experience for partners and customers alike.”

In addition to building a more consistent structure for its global program, Pritchard said another emphasis was on baking in certain features to future-proof against industry changes. To do this, Unify worked from the ground up to rebuild its program, bringing together an executive team of channel experts consisting of Westcon alum Dean Douglas as CEO, Bill Hurley as CMO and Pritchard to guide the process. Together, Pritchard said the team worked to create a program that rewards partners for their depth of expertise and specialization, while allowing individuals to differentiate their programs based on core business and technical competencies.

“I think the most important part is that it gives them a framework to build onto the future,” said Pritchard in an interview with The VAR Guy. “I think it’s that flexibility, and it’s like a smorgasbord menu of ways that they can come in, but it can be very tailored to different organizations, which I think that’s where our previous program didn’t hit the mark because it was very much ‘one size fits all.’”

Unify is also making its UC portfolio available to the channel, which includes OpenScape Voice and OpenScape 4000 for enterprise, as well as OpenScape Business for commercial. The company said its new framework will make it easy to add additional products and solutions as needed.

The program kicked off Oct. 7, with a three-month transitional period before widespread adoption as of Jan. 1. During the transitional process, Unify will work to grandfather in existing partners so they can choose their specialization and define their new business models.

“The program is designed to work very well for our existing partners as well as attracting new partners,” said Pritchard. “The key for our existing partners is that we’ve built into the program a transitional support piece, which will allow them to identify where they want to get to, and we’ll support them through that process.”