Netgear Launches Enterprise-Focused Partner Program, With Channel Chief Calling It A ‘Bold, New Chapter’

“We’re certainly very proud of our consumer brand and that part of our business is very big for us, but it wouldn’t make sense to launch a partner program to attach it to a consumer vision. … We want to do an even better job of saying, ‘Netgear is an enterprise company,’” says Thomas Schwab, Netgear’s channel chief.

Netgear, known for its consumer and SMB networking chops, is jumping headfirst into the small to medium enterprise (SME) space and launching a reimagined global partner program for the occasion.

The company’s enterprise strategy, which is being driven by top leadership, is very much at the forefront of Netgear’s “bold, new chapter,” Thomas Schwab, Netgear’s channel chief since December 2024, told CRN.

To that end, the new Netgear Drive Partner Success Program, unveiled this month to the company’s partners, aims to support VARs and MSPs in the SME markets by emphasizing simplicity, reliability and cost-effectiveness.

The Netgear Drive Partner Success Program includes a tiered partner structure: Ignite, Apex and Apex MSP. Each tier offers benefits based on partner investment, as well as completion of training and certification milestones. The tiered structure will help partners stand out in a competitive market and align more closely with customer needs, with higher tiers requiring certification and MSP audits, according to the company.

The program also offers enhanced support, training and competitive differentiation to boost partner success, Schwab said.

Netgear’s new approach under Schwab and CEO CJ Prober, who joined the company in January 2024, is about rewarding partners not for simply selling or for volume. In fact, revenue doesn’t come into play in the new tiered structure of the partner program. Rather, Netgear is rewarding partners that give customers the best wraparound experience, said Paul Duckett, managing director at BIAS IT, a U.K.-based solution provider and Netgear partner.

“We’re not selling a product and then waving goodbye and leaving the customer to it,” he said. “[Netgear’s] definition of success is that the end customer gets a solution delivered that is right for them, at a price point they’re happy with, but importantly the partners that are supplying it are knowledgeable and can support that customer so they don’t feel abandoned or at the behest of overpriced engineers and support companies.”

Duckett called Netgear one of the industry’s “best-kept secrets.”

“In the case of Netgear, they’re one of the world’s best-kept secrets because they are up there with everyone else, but they’ve never had the correct marketing message to get it out there,” he said. “With what’s going on in networking, finding a partner that you know is still going to be here in 10 years and [is] going to give you the level of support you need is absolutely critical to getting that trust. No one else has given me that level of confidence.”

The Netgear Drive Partner Success Program has been built to reward partners for service excellence and long-term co-investment, Schwab said.

"That’s what’s increasingly important to customers, and that’s what we increasingly want to identify and reward,” he said.

The company will be rolling out access to a new partner portal with the latest portfolio, technical information, and sales and marketing resources. Partners can continue transacting under existing program terms to ensure a smooth on-boarding experience, and existing Netgear partners will transition to the new program by Jan. 1, 2026, according to Netgear.

Networking Fit For The Enterprise

Netgear believes its enterprise-grade products are “fit for purpose” in the SME space because its gear and services are designed to address current customer needs, such as network resilience and scalability, Schwab said.

“It’s very important for us to take stock of what is going on in the industry and what is going on with customers that live in this space. They have a limited ability to attract IT talent, they have aging networks that can’t scale or expand, and budgets that oftentimes are extremely tight,” he said. “We have to make sure that we’re working with our partners to equip and enable them to go to market in a way that attacks these problems directly and head on,” he said.

Netgear may not have high name recognition, but its products can compete with the legacy enterprise networking players, BIAS’ Duckett said.

“What [Netgear] does have is equipment that is as good but is probably an order of magnitude easier to operate. The cost to purchase isn’t the only factor. It’s the cost to own, the cost to maintain. So, if you need an engineer that’s got five degrees just to be able to log into a device, it suddenly becomes stupidly expensive,” he said. “We’re in an environment where even enterprises are looking at their budgets and trying to find value. Netgear offers value. They offer simplicity. They offer fantastic support for their partners, who in turn are rewarded for looking after their customers. I feel confident that there’s no other supplier out there that can offer the same services, the same equipment, at a price point and service level that Netgear is currently [offering].”