Silver Peak Launches Certified Deployment Program For Services-Minded Partners

SD-WAN specialist Silver Peak is rolling out a new channel program to help solution providers differentiate their SD-WAN businesses through advanced trainings and certifications.

The certified deployment partner (CDP) program will help select partners to resell and deploy the Unity EdgeConnect SD-WAN edge platform, while wrapping their own services around the platform, Ken Marks, vice president of channel sales for Silver Peak, told CRN.

“This new program really provides our partners the opportunity to build a robust, profitable services practice that delivers high levels of customer satisfaction,” Marks said. “It really lets partners differentiate themselves against their own competitors.”

[Related: 5 Big Things To Know About The HPE-Silver Peak Acquisition]

The CDP program is for partners interested in designing, deploying, managing, and sustaining the SD-WAN network for customers looking for advanced network transformation, Marks said.

“We look for partners that have the capabilities, services practices, specializations an specialties around network transformation,” he said. Silver Peak will be looking at platinum-level partners -- its highest tier -- for consideration for the new program.

Partners participating in the CDP program must complete training and proctored exams, as well as meet advanced deployment certification requirements, including: Silver Peak‘s SSP -- Sales Professional, STSP -- Technical Sales Professional, SPSP -- Technical Professional, SPSX – Technical Expert, SDP – Deployment Professional, and SDX – Deployment Expert.

After completing the education portion, partners in the CDP program will work with a Silver Peak engineer who will shadow them on their first two implementations. “That last step to becoming certified is really the most important,” Marks said. “At that point, everyone will feel very comfortable delivering a very successful customer engagement.”

The initial partners to achieve the new sales, technical and deployment certifications include global systems integrators CDW and WWT, and solution providers Invite Networks, InterVision, Teneo, and Xalient, the company said.

Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company, in July unveiled its plans to acquire Silver Peak, a leader in the SD-WAN space, for approximately $925 million in cash to fill a portion of HPE’s networking portfolio. Aruba told CRN in September that the acquisition should be closed in the next month.

Marks said that despite the deal on the table, Silver Peak‘s intent is to make sure its partners have the training and enablement necessary to continue to build thriving services practices around SD-WAN.

The Santa Clara, Calif.-based company announced a refresh of its Global Partner Edge partner program on August 1, about a week after its planned acquisition by Aruba was announced. That‘s because Silver Peak wanted to grow its mutual revenue with partners and improve ease of doing business for partners, Marks said.

Silver Peak also formalized its certified deployment partner specialization in August, an enhancement to round out its services program offering. The vendor in 2018 first introduced an Authorized Deployment Partner Program for services-only focused partners, not resellers.