Palo Alto Networks announced major tweaks to its NextWave Partner Program this week, including a new dedicated managed services program.
The enhancements, announced Feb. 4, are in response to the needs of customers and partners impacted by a rapidly changing market, Karl Soderlund, the company’s senior vice-president of worldwide channel sales, noted in a blog post.
“Today, organizations require a more integrated and automated approach to cybersecurity, along with a full set of partner-delivered services, to safely enable digital transformation via cloud adoption,” he said.
On top of a new dedicated managed services program, the NextWave Partner program, introduced 10 years ago, is also introducing the following:
- New Partner-Led Services Opportunities: Transformation Services, a new offering that includes tools, best practices, and procedures, will help partners implement a prevention-based architecture quickly and cost-effectively. Partners looking to scale the delivery of cybersecurity services can check out the Services Offering Kits. These kits provide the tools, training, and resources to help NextWave partners build or expand their Palo Alto Networks-based services practice. The first Services Offering Kit available to partners is Network Transformation.
- New Profitability Initiatives: New streamlined program levels and tiered discount structures introduce new pathways to growth. Plus, there are four new partner incentives – Deal Registration, Partner Value, Distribution Value, and Renewals – that reward partners for executing predefined activities. There is also a new rebate for Diamond partners, allowing Palo Alto Networks to invest in its most committed partners. Additionally, there is a new deal referral that rewards partners for bringing specific SaaS opportunities to Palo Alto Networks.
- New Systems and Processes: To ensure a smooth migration to these NextWave Partner Program enhancements, Palo Alto Networks says it made significant investments in system and process automation. These automation advancements are meant to simplify the quoting and approval process and accelerate the sales cycle.
Palo Alto Networks is hosting a number of partner webinars (registration required) to walk partners through the enhancements in greater detail.