Kong Introduces Enhanced Partner Program Amid Rapid Growth

Kong has introduced KongForce, its second-generation program for partners. Kong, the creator of a service connectivity platform, says the program includes more than 200 partners.

It’s a tenfold increase since 2019, the company purports.

Accelerated Growth

Kong’s Ken Kim

Ken Kim is vice president of business development at Kong.

“Kong has experienced truly phenomenal growth since 2019 in large part due to our vibrant partner ecosystem,” Kim said.

He added that this ecosystem has surged 925% in three years. During this same period, Kong’s revenue through partners and the channel doubled year over year and is poised to accelerate in the next 12 months, the company says.

“With KongForce, we are thrilled to give back to our global partners by delivering additional resources and support so they can maximize their Kong business opportunity. Our goal is to become the recognized partner of choice for API and microservices connectivity in the cloud,” Kim said.

As global 5000 companies accelerate the transition to becoming digital enterprises, they have embraced hybrid and multicloud architectures. As a result, partner programs have revamped their initiatives with more cloud services.

Consequently, this may provide greater agility, resilience, and flexibility. The company says KongForce enables technology providers, value-added resellers (VARs), and systems integrators (SIs) to help their customers become digital-first organizations. Kong’s goal is to remain competitive by creating new digital experiences and business models. These will be powered by APIs and microservices, according to Kong.

Building New Infrastructure with KongForce Partners

KongForce changed the way Kong engages and supports each partner through an improved onboarding process. Further, the company says its simplified legal procedure and access to tailored resources capitalize on marketing and sales activity in the field. Additionally, partners can gain access to the KongForce partner portal to build new, modern architectures.

Kong’s Kristian Györkös

Kristian Györkös is vice president of alliances at Kong.

“Our KongForce program enables our partner ecosystem to address the connectivity challenges companies face as they undergo digital transformation and unleash new digital experiences and business models,” Györkös said.

He added that it was important for partners to “future-proof” their offerings. By embracing cloud-native technology that works with any underlying infrastructure, partners will have the capabilities needed to succeed, he said.

Publicis Sapient’s Ronnie Mitra

Ronnie Mitra is director of technology at Publicis Sapient, the digital consulting company.

Mitra says Publicis Sapient’s partnership with Kong forms a cornerstone for the innovation-driven businesses his clients are becoming.

“Rising consumer expectations and disruptive technologies are changing the criteria for success in business,” he said. “Now, corporations need to transform into a digital version of themselves and embrace a new technology stack that gives them speed, with safety at enterprise scale.”