Dell Reshapes Partner Program For The AI Era

Customers are rethinking who they rely on as they navigate infrastructure, cybersecurity and AI investments. In this CRNtv interview, host Kena Johnson speaks with Denise Millard, chief partner officer at Dell Technologies, about the company's latest partner program updates and how Dell is helping partners capture new opportunities while keeping pace with changing customer demands.

Kena Johnson: What is driving these updates to the Dell Technologies Partner Program, and what are you hearing most from customers right now?

Denise Millard: We're hearing from customers that they want fewer, more strategic partners that can help them across their entire modernization journey. At the same time, we're seeing unprecedented demand for infrastructure. Customers are making infrastructure, cyber and AI decisions that will shape their ability to transform for years to come. We felt it was important to make sure our program keeps pace with those trends while continuing to enhance the partner experience and put partners in a position to win.

Kena Johnson: As those expectations shift, where are partners feeling the most pressure, and how is this new experience helping them keep up?

Denise Millard: We've been on a multiyear journey to modernize the partner experience. In the second half, we're enabling a more modern experience around pricing, deal registration and opportunity identification. At the center of that is a new AI-powered partner experience that is focused on removing friction from how partners work with us. It's about improving responsiveness, creating more transparency around pricing and providing tools and insights that help partners better understand their install base and demand opportunities.

Kena Johnson: When partners look at the program itself, what should stand out around incentives and where Dell is asking them to lean in?

Denise Millard: We've always prided ourselves on having a strong and rewarding partner program, but the headline is that we're aligning our incentives with where the market is going. We're driving incremental and differentiated rebates in key growth areas such as Dell Private Cloud, Dell Automation Platform, our cyber resilience portfolio, enterprise storage and premium client offerings. We're also simplifying our focus accounts incentive to reward partners not only for new business, but for expansion and cross-line-of-business growth.

Kena Johnson: What should partners be doing now to prepare as these changes roll out?

Denise Millard: We feel very good about the changes we're making and the modernization efforts underway. My advice is for partners to lean into the growth areas now. Many are already doing that ahead of the program launches. The partners that do will have an advantage through Dell Technologies' end-to-end portfolio, supply chain capabilities, go-to-market collaboration and global services organization. Combined with our partner ecosystem, we believe that puts everyone in a strong position in the market.

Learn more about the Dell Technologies Partner Program