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Brocade on Wednesday made a number of additions to its Alliance Partner Program (APN), including that it will eliminate strict revenue requirements in its partnering tiers, hoping to encourage closer ties among partners by rewarding them for skills and segment expertise instead of volume.
Among other updates, it's also introducing a new program to fast-track Brocade certification for partners that wield some of rival Cisco's most popular certifications.
The APN changes, which go into effect on Nov. 1, remove the revenue requirements for partners and introduce Value Incentive Programs (VIP), which offer higher discounts and incentives to partners depending on performance metrics and the specializations those partners earn. The more specialized a partner is, said Barbara Spicek, the greater the opportunity to make money with Brocade.
"It is aligned with the philosophy that I always talk about: partners need to be more services- and solutions-led," said Spicek, Brocade's vice president of worldwide channels.
The VIPs are open to Brocade Elite resellers, who under the terms of the program see increasing payouts based on their specializations. They're also offered to Brocade distributors, who see a progressive rebate scheme with cumulative payouts in some cases as high as 4 percent.
Next: Specializations Expand
