NetApp Partners Get ‘Long-Term Program’ in New Partner Sphere Initiative

NetApp partners now have access to the long-awaited Partner Sphere program.

Initially intended for an end-of-April launch, the initiative went live this morning after about a year of planning and previews. NetApp partners have been in the know about the transition for the last couple of months, giving them time to strategize about where they will fit in.

NetApp’s Jenni Flinders

“We wanted to make sure we were not only aligning to the market needs, but also on how our partners have evolved, and what works for them and how they provide value to customers that are driving exceptional outcomes,” Jenni Flinders, senior vice president, worldwide partner organization at NetApp, told Channel Futures. “So it’s been a long time in the works, going through this to make sure that what we bring to market allows for partner innovation as well.”

NetApp Partners Embrace Cloud, Subscriptions

Indeed, the refrain NetApp partners will hear around Partner Sphere should sound familiar. That’s because NetApp stands out as the latest legacy-technology company to make a big push into the cloud and subscription era. Founded as a provider of on-premises hardware and software for data storage, NetApp itself now operates more on a cloud basis. Its products take aim at hybrid and multicloud environments, as well as artificial intelligence and analytics. As such, expect Partner Sphere to emphasize cloud and services over older approaches to data storage.

There are a lot of details to consume when it comes to the changes and upgrades inherent to Partner Sphere. In the slideshow above, Channel Futures shares more from our conversation with Flinders about what NetApp partners need to know, including which buyer demographic is getting more love from the $16.5-billion company.

See the slideshow above to learn more about Partner Sphere.