Smartsheet Rolls Out New Partner Program, GDPR Tool

Smartsheet, a SaaS offering for collaboration and work management, Tuesday unveiled Smartsheet Aligned, a new partner program, and the Accelerator for General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliance.,

Smartsheet Aligned includes a global and growing channel account team, financial incentives, sales and technical training, marketing support, a partner portal with sales automation tools and more. In addition, a new consulting services certification allows partners to deliver premium implementation services and customized solutions built on Smartsheet.

Smartsheet is actively recruiting new channel partners.

Smartsheet’s Mike Arntz

Mike Arntz, Smartsheet’s chief revenue officer and executive vice president of worldwide field operations, tells Channel Partners his company has been working with a number of partners for years, and this is the first time “we’ve taken a programmatic approach and created the team and structure necessary to make a channel program successful for the long term.”

“Smartsheet is growing rapidly, almost 60% year over year,” he said. “We’re branching into new use cases and solutions as evidenced by our expanding list of accelerators. This is the time to create a best-in-class SaaS partner program to accelerate growth and continue building our platform. I believe we’ve done that with Smartsheet Aligned.”

Smartsheet works with value add solution partners, midtier SIs and vertical industry consultants.

“We’re looking for a few things across the various categories,” Arntz said. “The partner needs to be invested in building a Smartsheet practice. They need to offer high-value services in areas like implementation and training. Maybe most importantly, we’re looking for a specialization that adds value to the Smartsheet platform and to our customers. This might include a specific vertical focus or unique intellectual property in a particular use case. Partners will have the opportunity to leverage our technology to deliver premium services and solutions that make our shared customers more successful.”

Smartsheet developed the Accelerator for GDPR in partnership with Protiviti, a global consulting firm. It allows organizations to manage ongoing GDPR compliance through a combination of Smartsheet technology and best practices developed by Protiviti through hundreds of client engagements.

“Smartsheet Aligned is about creating a program aligned with our direct sales teams,” Arntz said. “We’re implementing 100% compensation neutrality and rewards for our direct sales teams to work closely with partners to create an integrated sales cycle with customers.”

“Smartsheet offers an intuitive and extensible technology platform to transform the way compliance and technology leaders operationalize privacy programs,” said Kurt Underwood, a Protiviti managing director and global head of managed technology solutions. “We’re excited to provide our consulting services alongside Smartsheet using the Accelerator for GDPR, a game-changer in the governance, risk and compliance marketplace.”