Topic: Partner Programs - Page 41

The hardware maker is signing partners and gaining share even as SMB market conditions remain sluggish, according to Steve Biondi, North American channel chief for Lenovo’s Data Center Group.

Though adoption of cloud solutions has skyrocketed this year due to the coronavirus, channel chief Gavriella Schuster (pictured) encourages partners to pursue additional opportunities in managed services, office reopening solutions, and virtual desktops too.

Many of the updates are designed to help the company grab a greater share of the SMB market and accelerate sales of as-a-service solutions like HPE GreenLake.

The on-premises customer edition of SAP’s ERP solution can now be hosted on Lenovo’s usage-priced TruScale infrastructure platform, according to Data Center Group President Kirk Skaugen (pictured), speaking at Lenovo’s Tech World conference.

Sure, you haven’t been swarmed by hordes of rabid raccoons yet, people, but give it time. 2020 isn’t over yet. While you wait, listen in as Matt, Rich, and guest host Lawrence Cruciana, of Corporate Information Technologies, discuss Intel’s new partner program, SkyKick’s new cloud management solution, Datto’s new IPO, and SolarWinds MSP’s likely forthcoming IPO.

Called Project APEX and introduced at this week’s Dell Technologies World conference, the long-term initiative debuted alongside new storage-as-a-service solutions and pre-configured purchasing and Flex On Demand financing options.

During a virtual partner conference today, Eric Thompson (pictured) and others offered details on the new Intel Partner Alliance and extolled the advantages it will offer over previously separate programs for solution providers, OEMs, and ISVs, among others.

One new offering walks partners through the process of creating NetSuite-based solutions for customers in narrowly defined industries. The other gives resellers of products like NetSuite’s email marketing system and PSA solution an easier route into the vendor’s channel.

The new offering, which features just two membership tiers and a simplified discount structure, is designed to be both easier for partners to understand and more profitable for them to join.

The tech giant’s sales climbed at the start of its current fiscal year and dipped more recently, resulting in essentially unchanged results for the last six months. Vertical industry solutions and work-from-home upgrades are among bright spots for what’s next.