Google Cloud’s new three-tiering system brings mixed reviews from partners

The new tiered system now features a “Diamond” tier that has raised questions amongst partners.

Google Cloud’s new partner program brings several new features, including a new three-tier program, that has been received with mixed feelings from Aussie partners as the benchmarks to reach the new Diamond tier are higher than expected.

The three tiers within the Google Cloud Partner Network are Select, Premier and Diamond. Previously, there was only two tiers, with Diamond being the new addition.

CRN Australia understands partners must make $20 million in partner co-sell ACV to reach Diamond status, $2 million to reach Premier and $250,000 to hit Select.

However, there are several other milestones Google Cloud partners must hit before they hit Diamond status, including 20 partner implemented workloads, 30 partner co-sell influenced opportunities, and 200 professional certifications.

Speaking to CRN Australia, Ben King, founder at Aviato Consulting said moving from two to three tiers will give them better differentiations, but he raised eyebrows with the amount of certifications needed to reach diamond status.

"200 practitioners with certifications are a high bar,” he said.

“Many GSI teams with huge headcounts will achieve Diamond status without having the skill depth that my team of close to 100 people possesses. Therefore, while we are striving for Diamond, meeting the requirement might take two years.”

Prior to the new three tier system, they were a Partner which is the Select equivalent. King told CRN Australia they held off on obtaining Premier status as they knew about the impending changes.

Looking at the old program, King said the old process for achieving premier status was “incredibly cumbersome, requiring auditors unfamiliar with cloud to certify the company”.

King said, “The new process links directly to the business (or revenue) outcomes we have delivered, which simplifies the process and saves us from hiring somebody to manage that process. A great win for a medium business.”

Gary Denman, head of partnerships and alliances, at Google Cloud ANZ, discussed the tier changes.

He told CRN Australia, "Our new program gives partners of all sizes meaningful ways to connect with customers and showcase their expertise. The program is designed to balance the impact across all partner types."

AI features

One of the major changes with the Google Cloud partner program is the addition of AI features and incentives.

Denman at Google Cloud ANZ told CRN Australia the company redesigned their partner program to support customers in the AI era.

“The new program is designed to reward growth and customer success, using AI-powered automation to deliver simplicity, transparency, and deeper field alignment,” he said.

Discussing the new AI features, King has a positive outlook.

“I’m optimistic about the AI features like automated tracking, as they have the potential to streamline reporting significantly,” he said.

Denman said the Google Cloud Partner Network will help their Australian partners succeed with AI by delivering “industry-leading expertise” alongside Google's technology through a single, simplified program.

“This allows them to quickly build and demonstrate proficiency with our latest AI solutions as well as cut administrative burden, and help them uncover new opportunities and projects for customers,” explained.

“The program will recognise these efforts as we fundamentally shift to prioritise value-based customer outcomes.”

Denman added, “Google Cloud Partner Network will make it simpler and more rewarding for our partners to build proficiency with our technology, differentiate themselves, identify new opportunities and projects, and to focus on what matters most: real-world value for customers.”

Simon Poulton, partner, Google Cloud at Mantel explained why the new capability model aligns for him and his team at Mantel.

“With the depth of over 100 Google certs, and the breadth of 850 highly skilled people across AI, cloud, data, digital and cyber we have the majority of the new capabilities in our existing offering,” he said.

“In addition, the program’s focus on AI and automation mirrors our own 'AI Factory' approach.”

New Competencies

With the new Google Program also comes a new competency framework, which Google Cloud said focuses on a partner’s proven ability to help customers measuring two key dimensions: capacity and capability.

There is a total of 21 new competencies Google is launching this month including: six solution competencies, five product competencies and 10 industries competencies.

King at Aviato Consulting said the competencies are a “huge benefit” to the partner.

“Being able to point to proven success in an industry or technology will hopefully mean more to potential customers than tiers,” he said.

Poulton at Mantel said the updated competencies structure is “great news”.

“As a lean business, knowing that project outcome and customer value are the main decision criteria allows us to maintain our focus,” he explained.

“With our depth and breadth of capabilities across multiple certifications and specialisations, we are well-positioned to deliver across most of the new competencies.”

“Step in the right direction”

Mantel’s Poulton said innovation and helping customers on the journey from pre-sales to post-delivery have been at the core of their seven-year journey with Google Cloud.

“[They] sit at the heart of the awards we’ve won with Google Cloud. To hear this is being baked into their way of recognising partnership contribution is energising for us,” he said.

Poulton said at Mantel, they’ve always believed that the best technology is only as good as the outcomes it creates for the end user.

“This new program feels like it was designed with that exact philosophy in mind,” he said.

“We are excited to leverage these new tools and the automated Partner Network Hub to accelerate how we bring Google Cloud’s AI and data solutions to our clients across Australia and New Zealand.”

Looking at the new program with all of its new additions, King said this is a “step in the right direction”.

“Competencies will hopefully be more important than tiers as we grow toward achieving diamond status with 200 certified practitioners from our current 100ish,” he added.

Denman noted that the new program was built by working closely with partners and customers every step of the way.

“Their feedback shaped its core focus on simplicity, field alignment, and a shared commitment to delivering customer success with AI,” he said.

“Partners and customers are excited by the opportunity ahead.”

The new program began globally on January 15.