5 Huge Google Cloud Partner Benefits In New AI Agent Program: Kevin Ichhpurani

‘We’re compensating our reps in giving them quota credit for select [partner] solutions, where our reps will actually take those to market and get compensated just like a Google product,’ says Kevin Ichhpurani, Google Cloud’s global channel chief.

Google Cloud’s new AI Agent Partner Program will see Google co-innovate alongside partners, help customers spend their cloud commitments on partner offerings and compensate Google sales reps for selling partner solutions to customers.

“The channel has a huge services opportunity here because the game has changed. It’s no longer about just lifting and shifting compute, storage and network workloads,” said Kevin Ichhpurani, Google Cloud’s global channel chief, in an interview with CRN. “Customers are fundamentally looking at how to rethink their business model entirely leveraging AI and data.”

The $46 billion Mountain View, Calif.-based cloud giant launched its new AI Agent Partner Program this month with new AI agent incentives, product support and co-selling opportunities.

Ichhpurani is president of Google Cloud’s Global Partner Ecosystem. In an interview with CRN, he breaks down five major things every systems integrator, MSP and solution provider should know about Google’s new AI Agent Partner Program to drive agentic AI technology.

No. 1: Google To Help Customers Spend Cloud Commitments On Partner AI Agent Offerings

Google Cloud will actively promote partner AI agent offerings through co-marketing as well as distribution through the Google Cloud Marketplace’s new AI Agent Space category.

“The Agent Space is where customers can come search and discover the AI agents they want and leverage their Google Cloud commitments that they have to procure those agents to basically decrement those commits as they buy a Google Cloud solution,” said Ichhpurani. “They can decrement their Google Cloud commits when they buy eligible solutions.”

The goal of Google Cloud’s AI Agent Space is for customers to easily find, buy and deploy partners’ AI agents on Google’s online marketplace.

“So we’re helping the entire life cycle— from helping you decide how to build an agent to then helping you build the agent to helping promote your agent,” he said.

Click through to read the other four keys to Google Cloud’s new AI program.

No. 2: Google Compensating Sales Reps For Partner Offerings On Cloud Marketplace

For select partner solutions, Google will be “compensating our sales reps to take those solutions to our customers,” which will provide Google sales reps with common quota credit, according to Ichhpurani.

“We’re compensating our reps in giving them quota credit for select [partner] solutions, where our reps will actually take those to market and get compensated just like a Google product,” Ichhpurani said. “For example, a partner or software or a services firm builds an agent that’s in the marketplace. Yes, we’ll pay our reps compensation and quota credit on those.”

The Google Cloud Marketplace is a way for customers to not only search, discover and procure the solutions but also for Google sales representatives to get compensated for eligible solutions and quota credit. “We want to help get these to our customers, and the marketplace is a very strong vehicle,” he added.

No. 3: Co-Innovating With Partners, Incentive Credits And Early Access To Tech

A major goal for launching the new AI Agent Partner Program is to accelerate co-development between Google Cloud and partners.

“Partners understand where there’s market demand. We are providing incentives like credits in order to help them develop on our platform,” said Ichhpurani.

To drive agent AI development, Google Cloud will provide partners with direct access to products and Google engineering teams for guidance and optimization of their AI agents. To help drive go-to-market success, Google Cloud is also offering co-selling opportunities and programs specifically designed for AI agent solutions to help partners more effectively promote their offerings and drive adoption to a wider range of customers.

“For select partners, we’re giving early access to our technology,” Ichhpurani said. “We are providing technical enablement with our partner engineers to help them architect the solution and give them technology best practices.”

No. 4: Marketing Partner Solutions

The new program will highlight work from partners through targeted marketing resources, blogs and dedicated events, with the goal of increasing visibility of partner-built AI agents.

“We are jointly marketing these solutions, allowing partners to showcase them at our events. [We’re] also showcasing them as well in the dedicated section of the Google Cloud Marketplace Agent Space, where customers can search and discover and buy the solutions,” said Ichhpurani.

The ultimate goal is for Google to market and build new industry-specific and horizontal solutions to meet customer needs to help automate core business processes. “That’s really how we create a one-plus-one-equals-three effect together with our partner ecosystem,” said Ichhpurani.

No. 5: $12 Services Dollars For Every $1 Of Cloud

Ichhpurani told CRN that Google is striving to push partners to drive more lucrative AI services versus lift-and-shift services.

“We have some analyst data that we looked at. Let’s say there is $1 of cloud when you just lift and shift compute, storage, etc.—it might be one for one: $1 of services for $1 cloud. Whereas when you’re doing strategic engagements like helping the company grow their top line by improving the core business process with AI, it’s $12-plus of services for every $1 of cloud,” said Ichhpurani.

He said the AI services margin opportunity is much bigger because partners are impacting the core business of an enterprise.

“So helping them grow the top line and streamline costs, you’re able to monetize much bigger. You’re a much more strategic consultant or adviser, which also leads not only to more revenue, but to higher-margin business as well,” said Ichhpurani.