Red Hat launches global cloud partner programme

Red Hat has launched its Red Hat Certified Cloud and Service Provider Program. Replacing Red Hat’s existing Certified Cloud Provider Program, the new programme aims to better support distributors, managed service providers and other partners that are involved in all aspects of hybrid cloud build-outs.

As the model for cloud providers expands to include private cloud build-outs, Linux container-based infrastructure and Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) solutions, additional flexibility is needed to help these providers better meet customer needs for cloud-based Red Hat technologies, said the company.

“The Red Hat Certified Cloud and Service Provider Program meets this need by not only broadening partner support, but by also expanding the choice of Red Hat solutions available to these partners,” said Red Hat. This includes Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Red Hat Enterprise Linux for SAP HANA, OpenShift by Red Hat, Red Hat Enterprise Linux OpenStack Platform, Red Hat JBoss Middleware, and Red Hat Gluster Storage.

Red Hat’s Certified Cloud and Service Provider certification is awarded to Red Hat partners following validation by Red Hat. Each provider must meet testing and certification requirements to demonstrate that they can deliver a safe, scalable, supported and consistent environment for enterprise cloud deployments.

The globally-unified programme provides customers, independent software vendors (ISVs) and partners with the “confidence that Red Hat product experts have validated a given solution so that implementations can begin with a solid foundation”, said Red Hat.

Michael Ferris, senior director, business architecture, Red Hat, said: “Much like enterprise IT itself, the world of cloud computing is constantly evolving, especially with the growing promise of hybrid cloud and Linux container-based architectures.

“The Red Hat Certified Cloud and Service Provider Program is designed to encompass nearly all service provider models, spanning the public cloud to on-site managed services, offering our customers a secure, stable and trusted partner ecosystem upon which to build their next-generation IT projects using Red Hat solutions.”