Juniper Launches New Partner Specializations, Segments

At its Worldwide Analyst Meeting in San Mateo, Calif., Juniper pulled the curtain off of a host of updates to its partner program, putting more emphasis on recognizing and rewarding partners for their sales and service value and building partner profitability, growth and specializations. The updates also seek to honor partners for their value-add and include new partner segment programs and new product and service specialization opportunities, enablement tools and resources.

"This approach is designed to grow our business with existing partners and attract new partners to deliver the right technology and service solutions to customers with proven business acumen and best practices," said Frank Vitagliano, Juniper's senior vice president of worldwide channels. "Partner profitability remains at the core of everything we do with our J-Partner Program."

First, Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Juniper expanded its J-Partner product specialization opportunities to keep pace with its expanding product portfolio, which in recent months has ramped up its security and switching offerings. All of Juniper's products are now accessed by J-Partners through one of three product specialization areas: advanced security, which includes all security products; network infrastructure, which collects routing, switching and other infrastructure products; and advanced infrastructure, which includes high-end routing and service-provider platforms.

Juniper also delivered on its new services specializations, which let partners build margin-rich services practices that correspond with their specific product specializations to increase revenue, profits and customer satisfaction. The specializations -- which include designations around design, implementation and operation -- deliver the tools needed to boost practices and enable them to more efficiently deliver a range of services around Juniper products.

Juniper also launched a new high-performance network designation to recognize and reward partners with a full Juniper product portfolio and services specializations. These designated partners will team with Juniper in the most strategic sales opportunities and receive a special class of enablement resources, such as higher-level technical resources, joint business planning and priority marketing support.

"Overall, everything that we're doing is intended to create more opportunity for partners," Vitagliano said, adding that Juniper is continually investing in its channel to help partners grow business and increase profit. Vitagliano added that the J-Partner enhancements were designed to better help partners align their businesses with Juniper's vision of high-performance networking. "Enhancing these specializations will help partners go to market and focus and drive business."

Along with new specializations and designations, Juniper launched a handful of new program segments, focusing more directly on partners and the markets they serve. Each segment will have access to targeted training, portals and enable tools that suit that specific type of partner's needs.

"There are areas that we didn't have formal programs where we needed them," Vitagliano said. "We had never formalized our program offerings in these specializations. We didn't have unique training, unique portals and unique enablement tools."

First, Juniper launched the J-Partner Managed Service Provider program, which aligns Juniper's channel model with customer purchasing preferences. The program will recognize partners for their expertise in delivering both network and customer premise-based managed security and networking solutions that speed the development of mission-critical infrastructure and application. This new segment program helps partners develop their own managed services offerings on Juniper products, bring those products to market and offer ongoing support.

Juniper also gave consultants a nod, rolling out the new J-Partner Consultants Program, which gives authorized consultants timely access to key information assets on Juniper's enterprise and service provider products. The program will launch customized consultant events, Webinars and information forums in the second half of the year.

Lastly, Juniper launched a new segment program for partners with established practices selling to and supporting service providers. Previously part of the core J-Partner Solution Provider program, the new J-Partner Service Provider Infrastructure program acknowledges the enablement requirements for partners that design and deploy high-performance networking solutions for service providers, giving those partners access to Juniper's service provider solutions materials, sales tools and marketing support.

"We're making major investments [in the channel] and we believe these investments will serve us well not only in the short term, but in the long term and create more opportunity in the marketplace for our partners," Vitagliano said.