Big Changes Coming Next Month to Google Cloud Partner Advantage

Google Cloud is making good on its long-touted plans to propel Partner Advantage to new heights.

Recall that the world’s third-largest cloud computing provider earlier this year took the first steps toward implementing those changes when it introduced new certifications. Now, it’s bringing the rest of its channel program updates to fruition. Some go into effect on Aug. 1 and others in January 2024.

In this article, Bronwyn Hastings, vice president, ISV ecosystem and channels at Google Cloud, discusses those changes to Partner Advantage.

As for what’s spurring the company’s partner program evolution, consider all that’s happening for organizations that need technology.

Google’s Bronwwyn Hastings

“We’re seeing a lot of digital transformation in customers, as you would expect, and the key element that they keep telling us is, they don’t want someone to just buy from, they want someone that is their strategic counsel,” Hastings told Channel Futures. “That’s a really interesting way of thinking about it — as strategic counsel that helps them understand first and foremost what they’re looking at, and what transformations they’re looking to do. But then they’re also looking for that follow-through, which is the expert implementation services. … It’s not so much about just buying the product. It’s about buying something that ends up as a value to the customer.”

Partners Weigh In on Partner Advantage

That right there positions the Partner Advantage changes Google Cloud is making. And the two channel partners – Quantiphi and Kin and Carta – we spoke with are as upbeat about new requirements and capabilities within Partner Advantage as Hastings. Here’s a taste from Kin and Carta’s Robbie Clews: “Many of these initiatives have been built with partner involvement and I think the correlation to increasing customer satisfaction is a key barometer for the impact that these changes are positively driving.”

What can Google Cloud partners expect in the new channel program? Look for more funding, incentives, a shift in compensation, a more concerted focus on a particular market segment, and more resources for partners to keep improving their offerings and service delivery.

In other words, there’s a whole slew of stuff coming partners’ way. Click on the image above to get the downlow on Partner Advantage from Google Cloud’s Hastings, and from Quantiphi and Kin and Carta.