APC by Schneider Electric Revamps Global Partner Program

At the behest of its global partners, energy management and automation solution provider APC by Schneider Electric announced several fundamental changes to its channel partner program, including an increased focus on profitability, enablement and support.

Schneider has also appointed Rob McKernan as the head of its new Global Channels Organization, responsible for overseeing several of the company’s partner-focused divisions, including Global Alliances, Partner Programs, Channel Marketing and Channel Operations. McKernan has worked in various positions at APC by Schneider Electric since 2006, including vice president of Channels and president ITB Americas, according to LinkedIn.

The APC by Schneider Electric Global Channel Partner Program will focus on meeting the changing needs of partners in today’s IT landscape, according to the company. The program will ensure resellers—which currently number 
more than 100,000—continue to succeed in selling the company’s solutions, said McKernan.

“It is critical that we align our organization to best support and enable our partners,” he said. “The more we can bring global channel partners into developing conversations, the better we’ll be able to drive solutions and revenue streams that are mutually beneficial.”

Like many modern partner programs, the latest version of APC’s program will focus on giving resellers opportunities to join programs that capitalize on specific industry trends and needs, including ones centered around lead generation, opportunity registration and marketing development funds. Partners also will have access to specialized certification paths as well as additional training and support from Schneider, including resources on how to branch out into managed services revenue streams.

Additionally, the company said it is working to provide continuous structure and content updates to its web pages so partners can more easily access relevant data for their businesses.

In April, the company announced the launched of its PowerChute Network Shutdown v4.0 solution, which promised to give customers the ability to monitor redundant UPSes without the risk of losing power. The power supply also received VMware Ready certification, making it compatible with VMware’s (VMW) virtual machines.