Today I’m excited to announce that VCE has partnered with Cisco and EMC to roll out an exciting new program designed to accelerate the cloud opportunity for partners. Our new Cloud Infrastructure Solutions Accelerator raises the bar for cloud builders, providing unique program benefits and rewards to partners who are helping move the industry forward by offering their customers converged (also called “integrated”) infrastructure solutions designed for the next wave of “born in the cloud” applications.
It’s no secret that our industry continues to shift toward cloud-based computing models given CIOs today spend upwards of 70 percent of their time and resources on OPEX.[1]
Cloud computing offers a more simplified way of managing IT so that the effort they’ve been putting into keeping the lights on can be redirected toward innovation and driving value back into the business. Partners have been critical in driving this market forward, delivering cloud solutions for customers that keep them coming back for more.
Converged infrastructure takes this a step further, having a transformative effect on the data center that not only simplifies operations and management, but is also packaged and delivered in a way that eliminates the guesswork when deploying new systems. This results in far quicker infrastructure and application deployments compared to traditional approaches, and in the end, faster time to market that enables customers to stay competitive.
For partners, we’ve found that selling converged infrastructure isn’t just a one-off; it can create entirely new revenue streams. For example, one Vblock System sale can then lead to follow-on sales of additional applications, services and other products – up to and including deployment of additional Vblock Systems into the customer’s environment. Suddenly, a single engagement can lead to predictable recurring revenue in a matter of months.
With a vast majority of VCE transactions flowing through the channel, our partner community is essential in growing this market to its true potential. And our new Cloud Infrastructure Solutions Accelerator presents an exciting opportunity for partners to build practices around delivering converged infrastructure to customers. Partners have told us their main priorities during this industry transition are:
- Differentiation of elite skillsets in which they’re investing, helping them become trusted advisers to customers
- Unification across VCE, Cisco and EMC to provide consistent positioning and enablement of converged infrastructure
- Profitability and competitive incentives
- The ability to future-proof their investments amid the evolution toward cloud-based IT
Converged infrastructure solutions deliver on these priorities, enabling value well beyond the sum of their parts – partners can drive bigger deals and initiate long-lasting relationships with repeat customers while ensuring they can stay ahead of the curve.
VCE, Cisco and EMC recognized the opportunity to enable our joint partner communities to accelerate their success as the converged infrastructure trend takes off. Our new program is focused on joint field engagement, custom enablement, joint marketing and profitability incentives that we believe will accelerate our partners’ success. Take a look at this video for additional commentary from VCE, Cisco and EMC on this exciting new initiative.
http://youtu.be/Y5maNCtUb_0
[1] IDC #231884 December, 2011. Survey of 300 IT decision makers.