Rising Stars

The most comprehensive, most developed partner programs are usually provided by the large, more established IT vendors. Solution providers naturally expect more resources, assistance and incentives from the partner programs offered by such companies as Cisco Systems, Dell Technologies and Hewlett Packard Enterprise.

IT startups, early in their development, often work with smaller numbers of customers and generally have channel operations that are more limited in scope. And yet some startups, recognizing the value of the channel, operate world-class channel programs early in their evolution.

The CRN 2023 Partner Program Guide offers the information solution providers need to evaluate the channel programs operated by the IT vendors they work with or are considering partnering with – an especially critical decision when it comes to IT startups. The guide is based on detailed applications submitted by vendors – more than 300 this year – outlining all aspects of their partner programs.

As part of the Partner Program Guide, CRN designates some programs as 5-Star Partner Programs because they provide the most comprehensive lineups of incentives, resources, training, services and benefits.

Here we provide snapshots of the 5-Star designees among emerging IT startups, companies founded in 2017 or more recently. Details of every vendor’s partner program in this year’s Partner Program Guide can be found here.

Slide shows in the 5-Star Partner Program Guide series include companies that provide products and services in cloud platforms and infrastructure, devices and peripherals, data storage and backup, networking and unified communications, security, software, and systems and data center, in addition to 5-Star partner programs operated by distributors and emerging vendors. While many companies provide products and services that span multiple technologies, we’ve assigned each vendor to the slide show for the technology category in which they are most prominent.