8 Top Programs for Open Source Partners: Red Hat, SUSE, MongoDB, More
As partners eye open source software to grow revenue, here are some partner programs to explore.
August 3, 2020
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Since its founding in 1993, Red Hat has been a leader in the open source software market. Today it is the largest open source vendor and has a healthy and active channel partner program and user community. Red Hat’s Partner Connect program aims to help partners find new markets and expand customer relationships with its products. Partners can gain recurring revenue through the company’s subscription model and can get help with go-to-market strategies and more. Also available are full training resources to grow the open source product knowledge of channel partner employees.
Though smaller in size and revenue than its major rival, Red Hat, SUSE is well-established and popular throughout the world. In June, SUSE revealed a coming revamp for its longstanding partner program to give partners deeper sales and services opportunities. The new SUSE One program will launch in September and include a new structure and approach to partners. The new SUSE partner program includes three reorganized levels – silver, gold and platinum – each bringing different benefits for partners. Those will replace the existing partner levels — registered, accredited and solution partners.
Open source vendor Mirantis made a huge splash last November when it acquired Docker’s enterprise Kubernetes application and technologies. For Mirantis channel partners, this adds a broad area of new capabilities and services for expanded revenue opportunities. The company offers distinct partner programs for solution providers, technology partners and training partners. Included are opportunities for recurring subscription revenue, services revenue and expanded training and support for Kubernetes, OpenStack, containers and more.
For channel partners, direct involvement with the Google Cloud Platform can mean a lot of opportunities. The Google Cloud Partner Advantage program is for VARs and distributors, systems integrators, MSPs, ISVs, consultants and others. Partners can integrate Google Cloud offerings into their portfolios and sell Google Cloud technologies to customers and indirect resellers. They can also provide consulting and integration services, manage customer applications and workloads or provide Google Cloud authorized training. In addition, partners can create applications that complement or enhance other Google products, including Google Cloud Platform and G Suite. The program offers financial incentives and other opportunities to expand relationships with partners.
Open source enterprise automation and DevSecOps vendor Chef may not be as well known to some channel partners. Earlier this year, the company rolled out a new channel partner program to try to boost its presence in the market. Chef provides infrastructure automation, compliance and application delivery for more than half of the Fortune 500, according to the company. Chef channel partners integrate their own technologies with Chef and then resell and build services around it for enterprises. The program is designed for rewarding partners who want to retain, grow and building practices and relationships with Chef and customers. Partners can register and track deals and renewals, get sales tools and find training and more through the program.
Founded in 2005, open source infrastructure automation vendor Puppet is used by some 40,000 organizations around the world. Built to help realize the benefits of software-defined infrastructure, Puppet’s partner program is available to services partners and reseller channel partners. Approved services partners gain access to deployment best practices, certification opportunities for employees and ongoing support and assistance. Reseller partners can resell Puppet Enterprise as an application or as complete IT infrastructure. Puppet works with partners to develop, market and sell joint solutions to benefit partners and customers.
Open source vendor Canonical covers many technologies, from its flagship Ubuntu Linux operating system to Kubernetes, OpenStack, IoT and more. That means there are a lot of open source options for channel partners to deliver to their customers through the Canonical channel and reseller program. The program provides assistance with software, services, support and certifications that partners need to support their customers. The company also offers technical product training, a rich partner portal, certifications help, joint marketing and product sales support.
Partners offering database application services likely know about MongoDB, the open source NoSQL database. But while it’s a long-established open source project at its core, MongoDB is also an established enterprise database application. And that means it has a healthy MongoDB partner program that provides partners with technical, sales and joint marketing benefits. Partners also have the option to procure Partner Development Support for broader help with MongoDB Enterprise Advanced. A certification program is also available to highlight other products that work well with MongoDB Enterprise to ease customer deployments.
Partners offering database application services likely know about MongoDB, the open source NoSQL database. But while it’s a long-established open source project at its core, MongoDB is also an established enterprise database application. And that means it has a healthy MongoDB partner program that provides partners with technical, sales and joint marketing benefits. Partners also have the option to procure Partner Development Support for broader help with MongoDB Enterprise Advanced. A certification program is also available to highlight other products that work well with MongoDB Enterprise to ease customer deployments.
For channel partners looking to grow their businesses, open source software channel partner programs are ripe for exploration. That’s because companies of all sizes are considering open source to solve business problems as they become more familiar with it.
That broadening familiarity comes through frequent innovations from larger open source vendors including Red Hat, SUSE and Google Cloud Platform. In just the last few months, the open source market has been busy with plenty of new tools for partners.
In July, SUSE unveiled its acquisition of Rancher Labs, which will give the company more Kubernetes management depth. The $600 million deal brings together two established open source vendors and deepens SUSE’s depth in the enterprise Kubernetes marketplace. Furthermore, the Rancher Labs platform lets users to deploy their containerized workloads anywhere, including the network edge and to the cloud. Partners and customers often asked SUSE to get more involved in Kubernetes management.
In June, Red Hat, IBM and SAP collaborated to adapt SAP’s cloud platform so it can run on premises. A ton of customers and partners requested that capability.
In April, Red Hat’s new CEO, Paul Cormier, stressed the importance of channel partners to his company. Cormier joined Red Hat in 2001 and has always focused on channel partner relationships. Those relationships, he said, will continue to fuel Red Hat’s steady growth with its wide range of enterprise applications. Today that includes platforms for cloud, Kubernetes, storage, middleware, virtualization and more. And the company’s $34 billion acquisition by IBM last year arguably gives channel partners even more growth opportunities.
And in May, SUSE deepened its Azure cloud integrations capabilities for customers, which also opens more doors for channel partners. More and more case studies show how open source helps businesses get things done. That, in turn, leads to more partner opportunity.
Open source channel partner programs are growing and adapting in response. Scroll through the slideshow above to see how open source channel partner programs are giving partners new opportunities.
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