Pure Storage Reveals Flashier Partner Programme
Solid state storage specialist makes changes to improve its channel presence
Flash array specialist Pure Storage has reworked its partner programme and appointed an international channel advisory board to steer its future policies.
The company’s aim is to accelerate the mainstream adoption of all-flash storage systems through its 100 percent channel focus.
Guided growth
Initially, the invitation-only Pure Storage Partner Advisory Council (PAC) will bring together executives from 11 storage industry VARs and strategic partner organisations. It will help determine the company’s channel and go-to-market strategies, advise on partner sales and technical initiatives; and participate in future product roadmap discussions.
The company also unveiled sweeping changes to its Pure Storage Partner Programme (P3), including new partner tiers, expanded benefits, training tools, and support features. P3 offers pre-sales tools and rewards that align to performance goals, sales and technical capabilities, and marketing investments.
Clive Longbottom, founder and service director at analyst firm Quocirca, said, “Flash storage is gaining acceptance as a mainstream medium now – and not just for performance gain. The channel needs to be prepared for this and should look to identify those storage vendors who can demonstrate a definite capability to support such workloads in a highly performant manner, at a cost-effective price point.”
In its first year of channel operations, Pure Storage signed more than 100 partners worldwide and achieved over 125 percent consecutive quarter-over-quarter channel growth.
Pure Storage offers channel partners sales tools, demo gear and rewards for selling its FlashArray in three new tiers: Gold, Silver and Authorised.
The P3 Gold and Silver Partner categories support partners at different stages of maturity. Progression is based on sales achievements and technical accreditations, including participation in demand generation marketing programmes, and the delivery of pre and post sales value-add services.
The latter sales support category is enshrined in the new PureRewards programme. This offers deeper deal registration discounts based on higher value add tiers, competitive take-out programme margin guarantees, market development funds and incentives based on specified demand generation activities, and seed units of demo lab gear for the new ‘Million Dollar Club’, which will include partners committing to selling at least $1 million (£650,000) in Pure Storage arrays.
Education and on-boarding of partners will be the preserve of the PureAcademy. This online teaching system will deliver the same training used internally at the company. The repository, which can be accessed through mobile devices, will hold masterclass videos for sales and technical training, and downloadable sales acceleration resources.
The final change is the introduction of a suite of online and off-line demand generation tools, collected together under the PureDemand banner. This encompasses automated content syndication, co-brandable templates and campaigns, plus email and Call Blitz Appointment programmes.