After launching a new partner program in March, VMware says it’s ready to announce the program’s first competency, which the company says is related to its cloud-native MSC Tanzu portfolio.
Tanzu is VMware’s platform that includes products and services that allow companies to build, run and manage a Kubernetes environment from a single control point. VMware says the new competency will be an important recognition for partners specializing in managing containers through Kubernetes and adopting a DevOps approach to software development and IT operations. According to Gartner, by 2023, 70 per cent of organizations globally will be running three or more containerized applications in production. This is up from less than 20 per cent in 2019.
“This competency will help VMware partners embrace the industry shift to Kubernetes and modern applications and enable partners to build new revenue streams as container usage skyrockets,” explained Teri Bruns, vice-president of Tanzu ecosystem partners for VMware, in a press release.
The competency covers core offerings of the VMware Tanzu portfolio, including VMware Tanzu Kubernetes Grid and VMware Tanzu Mission Control; though principles are relevant to the wider cloud-native ecosystem, according to VMware.
“VMware Tanzu solutions are disrupting how applications are built, run and managed – and with that comes an opportunity for partners,” said Bruns. “Your customers’ success depends on their ability to deliver revenue-generating applications and capabilities faster, and to operate those applications and services reliably and at scale. This MSC is ideal for Partners who have existing infrastructure expertise and want to expand their business to deliver professional services across DevOps, and drive the consumption of new modern apps via the Tanzu portfolio.”
Requirements for individuals and requirements for the partner organization to achieve the Cloud Native MSC include:
- Three individuals must complete the Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) certification and the VMware Cloud Native Master Specialist Badge
- The Partner organization must submit one customer reference which validates that it has successfully completed the installation of the appropriate product.
VMware says there are nine partners as of this morning which have achieved the new certification:
- Altoros
- AHEAD
- Boxboat Technologies
- Data Essential
- EngineerBetter
- Huco
- ITQ
- Metanext
- TeraSky
Under VMware Partner Connect, partner levels are determined through Tier Credits based on, among other things, market size and the solution’s maturity, favouring cloud licensing and emerging technologies.