HPE Changes Partner Ready Vantage Program, MSPs Needed

HPE announced major changes to its Partner Ready Vantage Program and encouraged MSPs to deliver more of their own services through it. In the past, MSPs could deliver some of their own services through GreenLake’s Managed Services (GMS) offerings, but HPE typically handled services on most accounts.

“We were the ones that actually were providing most of the services capabilities. We did offer the capability for a partner to offer services on top of that, but we did a lot of the managed services component of that through GMS,” Jesse Chavez, HPE’s vice president, worldwide partner programs and operations, said at HPE’s Discover partner conference in Las Vegas. “We’re making that more available to our partners as we go forward.”

Changes Needed to Address Customer Needs

HPE’s Jesse Chavez

HPE is reshaping its Partner Ready Vantage Program to help it identify and partner with MSPs and other solution providers that have the expertise to deliver edge, hybrid cloud and AI solutions, HPE’s core technologies and fueling what it’s calling “megatrends.” End-user customers are increasingly relying on those to accelerate business outcomes. That proven expertise will separate HPE’s more advanced solution providers from those in the Partner Ready Program.

“Customers want to find partners that are capable, that can deliver the right solutions, not only from a business outcome perspective but to enhance and manage their overall infrastructure and data,” Chavez said. “Not only are the market dynamics changing to these megatrends, but the channel is changing. it’s growing and transforming rapidly.”

In one noted change, solution providers surveyed by Technology Services Industry Association said 56% of their growth is coming from as-a-service offerings, which makes up about 35% of their IT offerings, Chavez said. HPE is seeing a similar growth among its service provider partners, as many of them are building their own solutions around as-a-service offerings. Customer demand for more cloud and AI solutions will accelerate that growth.

HPE’s Aruba network partners can also join the new Partner Ready Vantage Program, which will be based on three tracks. Each track includes “centers of expertise” built on resources to help partners build out their end-to-end HPE practices. The centers will feature tailored enablement strategies, best practices and methodologies, go-to market assets and coaching. Each center will have detailed guidance with defined requirements that partners must meet to receive program benefits. HPE did not say if and how those benefits would change.

Partners Have Choices

Aruba’s Beth Jensen

Partners can enroll in as many centers as they want when the program launches this fall. Partners that don’t want to participate will remain in the Partner Ready Program. “It’s really up to you how much you would like to participate and how deep or how broad,” said Beth Jensen, Aruba’s director of worldwide channel partner programs

The Partner Ready Program will remain unchanged for the next two to three years but may eventually include their own tracks and centers of expertise, Chavez said.

The Vantage Program’s Build Track is designed to help solution providers develop, create and integrate solutions across HPE’s open platform and with HPE’s third-party vendors. The track includes “Solutions and Development” and “Technology Validation” centers of expertise.

“When you participate in this track, you’ll have the opportunity to fill gaps in your portfolio to help grow solutions that you might not have or your customers want,” Jensen said. “You’ll have more targeted solutions that will meet the needs and solve the challenges that your customers are dealing with.”

The Sell Track will help solution providers support their as-a-service business and grow recurring revenue through HPE GreenLake ecosystem. The track has one center of expertise, “As-a-Service,” which will focus on most of HPE’s portfolio, as well as innovative technologies. As-a-Service offerings have flexible billing options and different types of consumption and subscription models. Partner compensation will shift to a lifecycle-based incentive model. HPE is still working on those details, Chavez said.

“That will help you potentially earn more based on the value creation that you bring to the table in terms of bringing in logos and driving adoption, expansion and renewal activity,” Jensen said.

Chavez and Jensen stressed that core business transactions will continue to take place under the HPE Partner Ready Program. By participating in both programs, partners can deliver the entire HPE portfolio however the end-user wants to consume it, Jensen said.

Managed Service Center of Expertise

The Service Track will help partners bring their services to market. Aruba launched its service track more than a year ago, but now’s the time to tie it to HPE’s hybrid cloud offerings, Jensen said.

“This is where we’ve been building out all of our investments and making sure partners can deliver what customers need with their services,” she said. “It’s really important to us.”

The track is designed for partners focused on delivering their own services across the entire customer lifecycle. It includes “Customer Success,” “Professional Services,” and “Managed Services” centers.

“The managed services center is where you can differentiate your practice with HPE technology by building out your own branded managed services,” Jensen said. “We’re opening up all of our best practices, methodologies and tools to you to help you expand your customer success practices. It doesn’t matter what maturity level you’re at. There’s something in it for everybody.”

Some MSPs, though, aren’t sure yet.

“My biggest question is what are the certification requirements and training available to the sales and service teams,” said Michael Vaught, senior vice president of technology consulting and marketing at Computer Transition Services Inc. (CTSI), an MSP based in Lubbock Texas. “That’s been pretty vague up to this point. There’s not a whole lot of detail.”

CTSI has been an HP partner for 25 years. Vaught is exploring HPE GreenLake because a client expressed interest in it. Despite his questions, Vaught liked what he heard about the program and the opportunities GreenLake poses for MSPs, even smaller ones like CTSI.

“It opens up some pretty interesting doors because now we can add one more consumption-based managed service plans that we currently don’t have,” said Vaught, adding that CTSI provides a full stack of core managed services. “This is a new offering that’s going to allow us to roll out infrastructure that can be managed perpetually. I think there’s a lot of opportunity for us.”