Lenovo Adding New Competencies, Tiers to Lenovo 360 Partner Framework

Lenovo plans to expand its new Lenovo 360 partner framework with new tiers, competencies and incentives. The Lenovo 360 Engage enhancements, revealed on Tuesday, become available on April 1, the beginning of Lenovo’s 2023 fiscal year.

The expanded framework rolls out on the first anniversary of Lenovo 360. The company launched the framework for its various partner programs to incentivize them to build solutions sourced from its client and infrastructure businesses. Lenovo’s Infrastructure Solutions Group (ISG) is considerably newer than its Intelligent Devices Group (IDG). It created Lenovo 360 to broaden the appeal of its ISG portfolio to partners focused on Lenovo’s client-based offerings. It also covers offerings from Lenovo’s Solutions and Services Group (SSG).

According to Lenovo’s global channel chief, Pascal Bourguet, Lenovo 360 has met its objectives in the first nine months. One of the company’s primary objectives was for at least 10% of partners to offer solutions with products from both groups. Bourguet said Lenovo reached that goal.

Lenovo’s Pascal Bourguet

“We are now enjoying a unified go-to-market pretty much everywhere in the world,” Bourguet told Channel Futures.

New Competencies

The addition of Lenovo Engage is poised to raise that percentage. It includes five new Lenovo 360 competencies: Life Cycle Services, Workforce Performance, Infrastructure, Advanced Infrastructure and TruScale, Lenovo’s as-a-service offerings.

The added competencies provide new training that, upon completion of each, provides certifications.

“We want our partners to be able to differentiate themselves in the market,” said Lenovo executive director of worldwide channel marketing and programs Jeff Taylor.

Partners can also use those certifications that the company will recognize under the new Lenovo 360 Tier designation. Lenovo has separate Intelligent Devices and Infrastructure Solutions tiers, each with silver, gold and platinum status levels. The new 360 Tier identifies partners who sell both.

“It’s for partners that are selling not just intelligent devices or infrastructure or just services, but the whole Monty continuously,” Taylor said.

Lenovo has created three status levels for the 360 tier: Gold 360, Platinum 360 and Platinum Plus status levels. Taylor said that the 360 tier would come with added incentives, plus regional partner officials would have the flexibility to introduce new incentives or alter existing ones.

Lenovo Solutions Hub

Lenovo also will expand its partner portal with its new Lenovo 360 Solutions Hub, a set of sales enablement tools. The company designed the tools to help partners build proposals faster by providing guided search, selling and co-selling.

In April, the Lenovo 360 Solutions Hub will appear in the Lenovo Partner Hub. The company plans a phased rollout through 2024, starting in April through 2024.

Expanded ESG Community

Lenovo is also expanding its community of partners looking to participate in the company’s sustainability initiatives. Last month, it announced that it aims to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 aligned with the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).

Lenovo 360 Circle will connect those partners participating with experts in environmental, social and governance goals. Lenovo launched it last year as a pilot with 20 partners and distributors, which Bourguet said collectively represent more than $10 billion in revenue.

“We are opening the new Lenovo 360 Circle under the United Nations global framework to many more partners,” Bourguet said. “They can benefit from the work that we did and the assets required to answer some of the RFPs that our customers are demanding.”