The HPE Partner Ready program – It’s time to update

Paul Hunter shares updates and reflects on the recent industry recognition received for HPE's Partner Ready program

Back in August, we announced enhancements to the HPE Partner Ready Program, designed to enable our partners to help customers with the challenge of adopting and implementing IT to deliver business outcomes. A function of the program is also to be more consistent and make it easier and more profitable to do business with us.
 

Today, we’re very excited to confirm that these updates have now gone live, and are in effect. In a nutshell: our partners will earn more through the increased focus on high-growth areas of the market, improve their skills to more effectively sell solutions through new training and competencies, more easily embrace new consumption models to accelerate their transformation, and benefit from a significantly improved ease of doing business.

These updates are very much in line with our “Partnership first” core value - our mantra of our partners being at the heart of HPE: we have a proven track record of partnerships and consistent partner investment. As I regularly discuss with my colleagues, partners and customers – our strategy here at HPE has not changed, and these updates reinforce our commitment to this strategy, underpinned by crucial partner relationships.

But don’t take our word for it. Since we announced the program updates, we’ve listened to the feedback and opinions from our channel partners first hand. Here’s what they think:
 

James Hardy, Deputy MD of HPE partner, CCS Media, recognises the changes are part of our evolution as a company:
 

“As an organisation, their strategy is very clear and not just about people saying the right things on stage…The investment and changes they are making in the organisation are really clear and cohesive and have a positive impact."
 

Steve Tepedino, CEO & President, IT Partners, commends our early communications around the updates:
 

"HPE is telling us in advance…It helps get our team focus on the right products…Simplified benefits provide partners with clarity so they can over time prepare for the kind of activities needed to close deals. That lets us connect the dots to know what to do next, how to make the money, how long it will take. Simplification of the channel program helps us do that. If I could ask one thing of our channel partners, it would be: put everything together in a simple fashion."
 

John Kolimago, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Anexinet, praises the program profitability, but also highlights how it helps partners protect their margins and ensure stability:
 

"HPE has the most lucrative channel programs for partners in the industry, whether that is special pricing and deal registration programs that excite my sales team because of the protection and margin opportunity, or the market development funds and rebates that are unmatched in the industry."
 

Rudolf Hotter, COO, Cancom, acknowledges the support and recognition that HPE consistently provides channel partners:
 

“The HPE Partner Program really supports us in developing our skills, values our competencies and rewards us accordingly.”
 

It’s not just our partners who approve of our strategy. We’ve recently received enormously positive recognition for the program through analyst reports and industry awards. HPE joined a select group of vendors in achieving the prestigious ‘champions’ status in the H2 2018 Canalys EMEA Leadership Matrix – a ranking that combines partner feedback from its online channels community with independent assessment from Canalys analysts.

“After a period of internal restructuring, HPE is regaining its external focus, and partners are beginning to see the benefits of more agile, faster organization. The emphasis on higher value solutions combined with investments in partner marketing will be welcomed. The new partner program will help to accelerate this momentum, by rewarding partners who drive adoption of HPE's highest value technologies.”  

- Alex, Smith, Senior Director, Channels, Canalys

We were also presented two prestigious awards. Our Partner Ready program won the Enterprise Strategy Group 2018 Channel Acceleration Partner Transformation Award (having stood out in terms of best practices in program design, coupled with partner engagement and execution). Furthermore, the Digital Marketing for the program was recognised by SiriusDecisions as Program of the Year at their 2018 annual Summit Europe.

“The team at HPE is always looking for ways to better engage and enable its partners to drive demand. As part of this drive, the team has developed a best-in-class partner digital transformation program aimed at helping HPE's partners transition their demand creation approach and accelerate their digital journey.”

- SiriusDecisions

While it is gratifying and encouraging to hear the support from our partners, they also want us to tread the line between evolution and revolution thoughtfully. Our team is committed to working on behalf of our partners and customers to help them with the transformations they are undertaking. As we look to the future I continue to see opportunities to get better as a company every day.  We are energized to get better and value any feedback that you have for us.

As you can probably tell, we’re extremely proud of the Partner Ready Program here at HPE, and the latest set of updates…but we’re more than happy to let our partners, as well as third party industry recognition, do the talking for us.

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