Red Hat reveals two new changes to its partner program
The company has a new specialised partner program and new partner demand centre.
Red Hat has made two major changes to its partner program in a bid to adapt to the new ways organisations are using and buying technology.
The company has launched a new specialised partner program and a new partner demand centre.
Speaking to CRN Australia, John Nelson, director, head of ecosystem, Australia and New Zealand, Red Hat said the company has seen a “real shift” in how organisations are buying and using technology.
Nelson explained that they are continuing to evolve their global partner engagement approach with an ecosystem-first mindset for IT modernisation.
“With the latest updates to our partner program, we continue to empower our valued partner ecosystem with the agility, skills, and support needed to help their customers navigate these seismic shifts and capitalise on emerging opportunities, easily and effectively,” he said.
Updated partner program
According to the company, the Red Hat specialised partner program drives “enhanced industry recognition” for validated partners and provides “clearer pathways” for partners to develop and showcase skills in high-demand areas that are critical to customer success.
“This program recognises our partners’ deep technical expertise and proven service capabilities to support the full customer lifecycle, aligning with strategic technologies and streamlining go-to-market efforts for partners,” Nelson said.
Originally the partner program was piloted as the partner practice accelerator, where it focused on partners delivering validated services around Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform and OpenShift.
“Now, we’re expanding that to include additional specialisations like Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) and RHEL AI, as well as dividing Red Hat OpenShift specialisations into specific focus areas, including virtualisation, containers and application development,” he said.
Nelson explained the specialised partner program is designed to directly support revenue growth.
“It gives partners a way to prove their technical capability in sought-after Red Hat technologies like OpenShift, Ansible, RHEL and RHEL AI,” he said.
“That technical validation builds buyer confidence and helps partners win higher-value deals.”
In a saturated IT services market, it's hard for partners to cut through, Nelson noted.
“The specialised partner program addresses this by formally recognising partners’ expertise in critical areas that matter to customers,” he explained.
“This makes it easier for customers to identify the right partner for their needs — and for partners to position themselves as trusted advisors."
He said the program also helps combat resource constraints.
“With shrinking marketing budgets, many partners don’t have time or staff to build campaigns from scratch,” he said.
“The Red Hat Partner Demand Centre reduces that burden by giving them plug-and-play campaigns they can adapt and launch quickly.”
New demand centre
The Red Hat partner demand centre features the Red Hat campaigns and demand generation platform.
“This tool makes it much easier for our partners to autonomously launch ready-made marketing campaigns and promote joint Red Hat solutions to their customers and prospects,” Nelson explained.
“What’s great is that partners can run campaigns end to end, with access to detailed dashboards that provide insights into performance and leads.”
Nelson said to support sales execution, the new Red Hat partner demand centre offers turnkey campaigns and self-service marketing tools.
“This allows partners to reach target customers faster and convert interest into pipeline — even with limited marketing headcount or budget,” he added.
Future plans
Nelson explained what Red Hat wants to achieve with these new updates. He said the company has three main goals with the changes.
“Simplify engagement on a global scale, empower partners with greater autonomy to shape their future with Red Hat, and operate with transparency for optimised customer success,” he said.
“We’ve laid a solid foundation through the work we've done internally and the investments we’ve made in our ecosystem.
“Now, we’re ready to establish a new beginning upon which we can evolve. This new engagement model and program framework will roll out in phases, and we’re excited about where it will take us, and our partners, next.”
Last year, Red Hat introduced its vision for its ongoing transformation of global partner engagement experience. Nelson said it is rooted in three key business enablers: a globally standardised partner program, streamlined partner incentives and an enhanced digital experience.
“This strategy will help us engage more simply and transparently with our partners to co-create relevant solutions and accelerate partner business growth,” he ended.