Here is an overview of the key changes to the Palo Alto Networks NextWave partner program, from releasing cloud reselling and tech support for SMBs to promoting sales and new technology specializations.
Palo Alto Networks released the most comprehensive update in the history of its NextWave partner program on Thursday. Three specializations and a platform for sales activation were presented and the company’s entire Prisma Cloud portfolio was opened to the broadcaster for resale and the restriction of technical support for SMEs exclusively in the USA, according to Karl Soderlund (picture), SVP of the global broadcaster .
« This program is literally a representation of the feedback we have gathered from partners over the past two years, » Soderlund told CRN exclusively. « This program offers partners a greater opportunity for growth, profitability and focus. We expect great results. »
The Santa Clara, Calif. based platform security provider plans to track the level of partner activity generated by NextWave 3.0 as well as pipeline development, deals closed and bookings, said Soderlund. In particular, Palo Alto Networks plans to monitor the number of partners following the new specializations and taking advantage of the training and certification offered by the company.
Here is an overview of the most important changes to the NextWave Affiliate Program from Palo Alto Networks.
Palo Alto Networks has seen dramatic growth in its managed services program, according to Soderlund, having added 15 MSSPs in the US and 44 MSSPs worldwide in the past 90 days. The company now has more than 100 active and committed partners in its MSP program, Soderlund said, and is currently in the process of adding another 50 MSPs to the program.
Soderlund said Palo Alto Networks had seen a dramatic increase in the appetite of its partners to invest in managed services, and the company then invested in the continued automation of its program. Much of Palo Alto Networks’ technology goes very well with managed services, especially as the company has expanded its product portfolio through acquisitions and organic investments, he said.
Additionally, Soderlund said that managed services offerings are becoming more and more suitable for customers as COVID-19 enables more remote work, leading to an increase in both pipeline and results. The theory behind Palo Alto Networks Managed Services has been incredibly strong for the past three years, and according to Soderlund, the company is finally seeing results from its vision.
The partners identified enablement as the biggest area for improvement a few years ago as the focus is on white papers and technical enablements at the expense of sales enablement and the availability of enablement tools and resources is significantly delayed after an acquisition. Soderlund said. The company has spent $ 3.46 billion on 12 acquisitions since early 2018.
In response, Soderlund said Palo Alto Networks has launched an activation platform called Amplify to offer more customized training options based on age and industry experience of a user. Amplify has provided partners with more than 1,000 educational resources, including videos, podcasts and white papers, according to Soderlund.
Many of the training paths lead to certification, says Soderlund. Others, however, focus on obtaining micro-credentials so solution providers can quickly process relevant information before reaching out to a new customer. Palo Alto Networks has also made a point of incorporating new technology – whether organically or through acquisition – into the Amplify platform immediately so that partners can stay up to date.
Palo Alto Networks is making it so that only solution providers are allowed to provide technical support to the company’s 40,000 SMB customers in the United States, Soderlund said. « We’re really bringing this business to the partners because they deserve it, » Soderlund told CRN.
Around 10 percent of Palo Alto Networks’ channel partners provide support today, and Soderlund said the company hopes to increase that number with the introduction of Authorized Support Center (ASC) 2.0. Solution providers looking to offer pre-sale advice, implementation and managed services must meet certain thresholds for headcount, certifications and customer satisfaction reports, Soderlund said.
From a long-term perspective, getting approved to provide support and managed services for Soderlund is the most lucrative Long-term path for partners. Regarding one-off assignments, Soderlund said the highest level of profitability for partners is on provisioning and implementation services, as it is a high-demand, high-value offering for customers.
Palo Alto Networks is introducing specializations around its SASE, cloud and XDR / XSOAR technology to promote more partner know-how in the company’s high-growth security segments, said Soderlund. Around 10 percent of the solution providers are expected to receive specializations immediately, said Soderlund, with SASE initially attracting the greatest interest due to the network background of many partners.
Partners who want to get a specialization must meet the requirements in terms of performance, skills and activation, Soderlund said. In particular, he said they must have: Success in selling technology measured by bookings; Sales and technical expertise as evidenced by experience and certifications before and after sales; and best practice assessments and sales lifecycle reviews.
Solution providers who receive specialization receive additional front-end discounts, rebates, targeted collaboration, early access to activation resources, and increased sales force alignment, Soderlund said. Partners receive a 5 percent front-end discount and a 5 percent back-end discount for their specialization, and can stack these on top of a 5 percent discount for signing or referring a new client, Soderlund said.
1. Prisma Cloud now available for full resale, not just referrals
Palo Alto Networks is opening its Prisma Cloud portfolio for global resale, said Soderlund and foregoing a controversial referral-only model for certain products like the RedLock Cloud Threat Defense. Making Prisma Cloud available for resale simplifies things from an operational standpoint as the channel can register deals, resulting in an additional discount and designation as a partner of the recording.
Since Soderlund announced the news internally, Palo Alto Networks has increased both the registered deals and the sales pipeline for Prisma Cloud. The appetite for Prisma Cloud among midsize and small business customers was far greater than originally expected for 2019, and Soderlund said the partners are doing a fantastic job covering this segment of the market.
Prisma Cloud was the largest part of Palo Alto Networks’ portfolio that channel partners were only allowed to participate in on a referral basis, Soderlund said. Incident response services acquired by The Crypsis Group are now the only Palo Alto Networks offering that allows partners only to make recommendations, although Soderlund says large system integrators can provide services related to Crypsis.
Ref: https://www.crn.com
