5 Companies That Came To Win This Week

For the week ending May 22, CRN takes a look at the companies that brought their 'A' game to the channel.

The Week Ending May 22

Topping this week’s Came to Win list is Google Cloud for snagging a relatively small, but significant Pentagon cybersecurity contract.

Also making the list are Dell Technologies for unveiling new capabilities and options for its Dell Technologies Cloud portfolio, Intel for continuing to expand the range of financing options it offers channel partners to help them maintain cash flow, Contentsquare and BetterCloud for big wins in venture funding, and Secureworks for launching its first partner program.

Google Cloud Wins Multimillion-Dollar Pentagon Cybersecurity Contract

Google’s cloud division disclosed this week that it has won a Pentagon contract to upgrade the military’s cybersecurity posture with a multi-cloud system built on Anthos, Google Cloud’s Kubernetes platform.

The award comes through the Defense Innovation Unit, which is implementing the Google Cloud technology to help defend against cyber threats by implementing a “zero trust” security environment.

Google would only say that the contract’s value is in the seven-figures – a fraction of the Pentagon’s massive JEDI cloud contract that Microsoft and Amazon Web Services are battling over. That contract is potentially valued at up to $10 billion.

But for Google Cloud, this week’s Department of Defense win is proof that the company is a player in the market for government and defense cloud systems.

Dell Expands Capabilities, Integrations Of The Dell Technologies Cloud

The economic downturn isn’t slowing the innovation engine at Dell Technologies. This week the company unveiled a number of new offerings and capabilities for its flagship hybrid cloud platform, including integration with Google Cloud, VMware Horizon and Kubernetes.

The new Dell Technologies Cloud OneFS, for example, links Dell’s Isilon network-attached storage with Google Cloud’s analytics and compute services. Also new is a simple, direct path to Kubernetes from the Dell Technologies Cloud Platform with support for containerized workloads and traditional virtual machines on the same VxRail infrastructure.

The Dell Technologies Cloud is extending its SD-WAN networking capabilities with updates from the Dell EMC SD-WAN Solution powered by VMware. The vendor also debuted the next-generation of VMware Cloud on Dell EMC (Cloud Data Center-as-a-Service) featuring an enterprise-scale 42 rack unit infrastructure. And Dell is offering new node configuration options for the Dell Technologies Cloud platform that allow customers to transition to hybrid cloud at lower cost.

Intel Expands Channel Relief To Help Partners With Cash Flow

Chipmaker Intel wins applause this week for taking steps to help partners maintain cash flow during the economic downturn.

Ahead of this week’s virtual Intel Partner Connect, Intel confirmed that the company is working with finance partner DLL to expand financing programs through distribution partners with the aim of providing reseller partners with more flexible payment terms to help with their cash flow.

In April, Intel announced a number of relief initiatives to assist partners amid the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent economic slowdown. This week the company expanded those efforts with increased flexibility of the company’s stock rotation programs, price reductions on certain products and changes to product rebates – all of which are being executed through authorized distributors.

Intel also wins kudos for staying on track with its plans to combine the Intel Technology Provider and other partner programs into the Intel Partner Alliance by the fourth quarter. That move is expected to provide Intel’s partners with a unified user experience, make it easier for partners to engage with the chipmaker, and improve collaboration among different partner types such as ISVs, VARs, systems integrators and cloud service providers.

Contentsquare, BetterCloud Score Big Funding Wins

Contentsquare, a developer of customer behavior analysis software, and BetterCloud, a rising SaaSOps management provider, were both winners this week in the quest for venture funding.

Contentsquare raised an impressive $190 million in Series D funding, money the company will spend to continue developing its software that analyzes customer behavior data collected through anonymous web, mobile and online application interactions. The financing will also help the company expand its sales and marketing operations and could be used for acquisitions.

BetterCloud closed a $75 million financing round, some of which the company will spend on expanding market awareness of the rapidly emerging, but still not well-understood SaaSOps technology category. The company’s platform provides business and organizations with a way to manage multiple Software-as-a-Service applications and systems.

Secureworks Launches New Partner Program To Expand Reach

Secureworks, developer of threat detection and response software and services, this week debuted its first partner program as the company looks to the channel to expand its reach in key geographies and vertical markets.

Last year just 9 percent of Secureworks’ $553 million sales were through the channel. But the Atlanta-based company is looking to grow that number with the new Secureworks Global Partner Program.

The new performance-based program offers both front-end deal registration incentives and back-end rebates once revenue thresholds are reached. Larger incentives are provided for registered deals with new customers.

The program includes rules of engagement to avoid channel conflict with the company’s direct sales force and neutral compensation for inside sales regardless of whether a deal is handled directly or through a partner.

The program also offers sales and technical training, market development funds and other resources.