Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise Partner Program Encourages Transition to Subscription Model

Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise (ALE) is helping partners ease into a subscription selling model while maintaining their capex activities with its new partner program.

The new global partner program, the 360 Partner Experience (360PX), provisions for both models within a single framework.

The firm said it developed the program to support its 3,400 partners. It aims to accelerate their proficiency on a portfolio spanning communications, network and CCaaS, sold as on-premises, hybrid, or cloud.

The company also plans to attract new business partners, particularly those with vertical expertise.

A feature in the 360PX is a new “à la carte” accreditation framework. It supports partners who want to specialise in either sales or services across as-a-service (XaaS), capex or strategic verticals. The verticals include health care, education, government, transportation, and energy and utilities.

Framework Approach

Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise’s Claudio Soland

Claudio Soland, SVP of alliances and global partner programme at ALE, explained 360PX’s single framework approach.

“The enhanced support will help them flourish, especially for those transitioning to a subscription model. In addition, the collaborative ecosystem we are promoting will benefit all our partners around the world,” he said.

Partners will “work in partnership to offer solutions that fully meet the evolving needs of customers,” he added. “ALE facilitates this ecosystem to encourage partners to easily collaborate with each other and combine their complementary strengths.”

Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise’s Rukmini Glanard

There is also a real-time business relationship management platform for ALE to collaborate with partners on strategic planning and execution “to ensure mutual success.”

Rukmini Glanard, EVP, global sales, services and marketing at Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise, said that customers are asking for more complete and complex solutions. These require “the combined skills of diverse experts,” she said. “By facilitating this, the 360PX partner ecosystem ensures that end-users receive optimal solutions with best-in-class service, as they migrate to increasingly integrated platforms.”