Kathy Gibson reports from VMworld 2014 in Barcelona – Channel partners will be able to offer VMware’s new vCloud Air hybrid cloud service in a number of ways.
Richard Munro, chief technologies: vCloud Air at VMware, explains that partners can have the services hosted by VMware in its US, European and Asian data centres; or they can use the same technology to build their own data centres and services.
vCloud Air is built, operating and supported by VMware, he says. In some markets it will be deployed by partners, but it will be sold by the VMware sales force and channel partners. vCloud Air will leverage the software-defined data centre as well as partner facilities to achieve capital efficiency and agility.
vCloud Air Network, on the other hand, is where cloud services are sold and operated by service providers. They will leverage VMware software to offer hybrid services, while VMware and channel partners will provide some go-to-market support.
Munro says any features added to vCloud Air will be rolled out to the vCloud Air Network within weeks. “We are able to offer global scale cloud capability, and are also able to bring the service provider community with us.”
There are currently more than 3 900 vCloud Air Network partners worldwide, and Munro stresses that all vCloud services are sold via the channel, either a resale of VMware’s data centre services or the resellers’ own.
The VMware Value Channel continues to evolve, says Dave O’Callaghan, senior vice-president: global partner organisation at VMware.
The company has recently added a network competency to its offerings, to bring the VMware NSX network virtualisation product to market and more than 20 Elite partners have already signed up.
VMware also plans to add a service Value Channel in the near future, Callaghan says, and there is a new Value Channel for OEMs and ISV partners.
It has recently announced Practice Builder, a tool that pulls together all IP across the company, so a partner could build an entire practice around VMware in the space of a week, he adds.
Gilles Lunzenfichter, senior director: field marketing EMEA at VMware, expands on the NSX partner opportunity. “There is a lot of passion around NSX – there is huge market demand.
“A couple of years ago we changed the way data centres were managed,” he says. “NSX holds the same promise for the network. We see a similar market potential for network virtualisation.
“The network is currently the bottleneck when it comes to provisioning data centre applications.”
VMware and its partners need to evolve the market strategy, says Juergen Kuehlewein, senior director: EMEA channels and general business at VMware
“I think we have a great opportunity,” he says, with a $60-billion addressable market possible in 2017.
VMware has added certifications for SDDC, end user computing and hybrid cloud.
“What needs to change is that partners need to adapt,” says Kuehlewein. “We are a multi-product company and it is getting more complex. It is a much more strategic sale now.”
The business model is also changing, he says, and partners need to ensure they are building this into their business models.
To help drive the change, VMware provides tools and services, along with rewards in the form of discounts and rebates – to a total of up to 37%.
“We are changing, and we need our partners to change with us,” Kuehlewein says
