Dell had added four new software competencies to its PartnerDirect channel program to allow the IT vendor to represent the whole of Dell’s offerings to the channel for the first tie.
Dell has been acquiring software companies over the last few years, including Quest Software, SonicWall, Kace, AppAssure, and Boomi in a bid to compete better against the likes of IBM and HP as an end-to-end IT provider. The new additions mark a transition in which the disparate partner programmes Dell inherited from the acquired companies are merged into its corporate scheme.
The new software skills include security, systems management, data protection, and information management. These join its existing channel specialisations in server, desktop virtualisation, networking, storage, and cloud services and solutions.
Each competency will have a separate training path to the Preferred middle tier in the PartnerDirect programme. Partners with two or more specialisations under their belt will be eligible for the Premier top tier, assuming partners make the required revenues. Partners will have to sell around $50,000 to attain Preferred status and $250,000 to reach Premier level. These figures are markedly below requirements on the hardware side.
Recent enhancements to PartnerDirect also include a new Dell Service Provider program. More than 150 Dell Software products are currently available to service providers to greatly simplify service provider business processes. This marks an extension of the service provider programme Quest has had in place for the last four years.
Dell is also introducing a referral fee program for Dell Software products sold in the commercial sector. This was introduced after a clamor from partners of Dell-aqquired Quest, which had a very popular referral programme running.
Marvin Blough, executive director of Worldwide Channels and Alliances for Dell Software said the programmes would help the channel as trained partners sold four times as much as untrained ones.
“We are very excited to bring our partners a tremendous array of new benefits to expand their revenue potential and the scope of their customer relationships. It is a huge win for all of us to be part of a single program with end-to-end solution offerings and endless possibilities,” he said.
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