Partner Connect 2.0 ‘Going to Be Very Well Received’

Remember VMware’s preview last year of big revamps to Partner Connect? Read this article for all the details. VMware has spent the intervening months getting partners ready — moving them into the appropriate tiers, assessing certifications and so on.

Get really ready, because Partner Connect 2.0 goes live in March. VMware has promised Channel Futures another interview to dig into the changes, so expect the resulting article this month. In the meantime, prepare for a swing away from rebates and toward life cycle compensation.

The rebate model “was relatively inflexible in terms of how it spans the customer life cycle,” Cooper said.

In other words, the larger the deal, the bigger the rebate. But that doesn’t work in a SaaS world. Plus, the legacy approach overlooked partners in areas like testing,  development and services.

“Historically, we never rewarded them,” Cooper said.

Partner Connect 2.0 addresses that. And Cooper is confident that partners will be happy about the changes. As one example of why, VMware will place partners in one tier or status worldwide, so they earn the same incentives no matter where they sell. This compares to working in different tiers by geography, right now.

“The feeling is that you shouldn’t have to start all over again and be in the bottom tier,” Cooper said, adding, “This program is going to be very well received.”