Here’s What You’re Missing: Channel Program Offerings IT Vendors Wish More Partners Took Advantage Of
As part of the CRN Partner Program Guide evaluation, channel executives were asked what elements of their partner programs they wish more partners took advantage of and what are their benefits. Here’s what 20 had to say.
Underutilized Benefits
One thing that’s clear every year from the annual CRN Partner Program Guide: IT vendors have a lot to offer their channel partners in terms of incentives, financial assistance, technical training and support, marketing resources and expertise, and a whole lot more.
And yet for whatever reason, solution providers don’t always take full advantage of everything these programs have to offer. And that leaves channel chiefs throughout the IT industry scratching their heads.
That’s why as part of the 2025 CRN Partner Program Guide we asked IT companies the question: What element of your program do you wish more partners took advantage of and what are its benefits?
In the following slides we provide the answers that 20 of the 250 IT vendors who submitted applications for this year’s Partner Program Guide provided to that question.
The CRN 2025 Partner Program Guide offers the information solution providers need to evaluate the channel programs operated by the IT vendors they work with or are considering partnering with. The guide is based on detailed applications submitted by vendors – 250 this year – outlining all aspects of their partner programs.
As part of the Partner Program Guide, CRN designates some programs as 5-Star Partner Programs because they provide the most comprehensive lineups of incentives, resources, training, services and benefits.
Here we provide snapshots of the 5-Star designees in the security space, a category that includes cloud and application security, data security, email and web security, endpoint protection, identity and access management, managed detection and response, network security, security operations platforms, and security service edge.
Details of every vendor’s partner program can be found at CRN.com.
Slideshows in the 5-Star Partner Program Guide series running this week include companies that provide products and services in eight technology categories: cloud, computing, data center, MSP platforms, networking, security, software and storage. A separate list will highlight startup companies with 5-Star Partner Programs.
While many companies provide products and services that span multiple technologies, we’ve assigned each vendor to the slideshow for the technology category in which they are most prominent.
Alkira
Partner Program Name: Alkira Channel Program
Channel Chief: Doug Houghton, Director of Channels
Partner Program Details: https://www.crn.com/partner-program-guide/ppg2025-details?c=10
What elements of your program do you wish more partners took advantage of and what are its benefits?
We encourage more partners to leverage the customer Proof of Concept (POC) incentive. For each POC submitted to Alkira, partners earn a $1,000 reward, strengthening their engagement with us while benefiting financially from driving customer solutions forward.
Barracuda Networks
Partner Program Name: Barracuda Partner Success Program
Channel Chief: Geoff Thompson, Vice President, Managed Services Strategy and Development
Partner Program Details: https://www.crn.com/partner-program-guide/ppg2025-details?c=29
What elements of your program do you wish more partners took advantage of and what are its benefits?
Our shared success with partners is built on winning the hearts and minds of their technical staff. We would like to see more partners take advantage of the Barracuda Partner Sales Engineer Community, which aims to improve productivity, increase revenue, and support the professional development of our partners' sales engineers.
BMC
Program Name: BMC Ecosystem Partner Program
Channel Chief: Sam Lakkundi, Vice President, Global Partner Sales
Partner Program Details: https://www.crn.com/partner-program-guide/ppg2025-details?c=35
What elements of your program do you wish more partners took advantage of and what are its benefits?
We wish more partners took advantage of our free online training and certifications for sales and pre-sales. These certifications, based on proven BMC sales methodologies, help shorten sales cycles, increase close ratios, and boost deal size. The new Partner Enablement Hub platform guides partners to training, certifications, and AI-driven tools.
Cisco
Program Name: Cisco 360 Partner Program
Channel Chief: Rodney Clark, Senior Vice President, Partnerships and Small & Medium Business
Partner Program Details: https://www.crn.com/partner-program-guide/ppg2025-details?c=42
What elements of your program do you wish more partners took advantage of and what are its benefits?
We made a multi-million-dollar investment in Cisco U, providing partners free access to premier training with quarterly classes to enhance capabilities, starting with cybersecurity and AI. Virtual demos, low-cost or free not-for-resale purchases, and customer try-and-buy options also help partners increase deal size, improve close ratios, and drive customer success.
Cribl
Program Name: Cribl Partner Program
Channel Chief: Zac Kilpatrick, Vice President, Channels
Partner Program Details: https://www.crn.com/partner-program-guide/ppg2025-details?c=57
What elements of your program do you wish more partners took advantage of and what are its benefits?
Our free Cribl U training and certification courses, Cribl sandboxes, partner portal, and knowledge base offer rich resources and equip partners with hands-on experience and expertise. Partners leveraging these resources are better able to confidently address customers' data management challenges and drive greater success in their engagements.
Dell Technologies
Program Name: Dell Technologies Partner Program
Channel Chief: Denise Millard, Chief Partner Officer
Partner Program Details: https://www.crn.com/partner-program-guide/ppg2025-details?c=72
What elements of your program do you wish more partners took advantage of and what are its benefits?
1. Lead engagement (lead sharing through ENRICH, Tech Refresh, etc.), providing partners with Dell Technologies leads. 2. Partner of Record (POR) status: When earned and held, Dell core sellers will work with the POR on opportunities for the end-user account for the line of business the status is held.
Druva
Program Name: Druva Partner+ Program
Channel Chief: Mike Houghton, Senior Vice President, Global Partners and Alliances
Partner Program Details: https://www.crn.com/partner-program-guide/ppg2025-details?c=79
What elements of your program do you wish more partners took advantage of and what are its benefits?
Partner-led free trials enable partners to offer customers a 30-day trial of Druva's solutions. This initiative accelerates deal velocity, with data showing that deals close 75 percent faster when partners leverage free trials, significantly boosting success within the partner community.
Fastly
Program Name: Fastly's Global Partner Program
Channel Chief: Dan Sell, VP – Global Partnerships
Partner Program Details: https://www.crn.com/partner-program-guide/ppg2025-details?c=92
What elements of your program do you wish more partners took advantage of and what are its benefits?
We wish more partners leveraged our co-marketing opportunities. These provide tools, resources, and collaborative campaigns to amplify brand presence and generate demand. By participating, partners can strengthen their market positioning, drive lead generation, and enhance customer engagement, all while benefiting from shared expertise and Fastly's reputation for performance and innovation.
Gigamon
Program Name: Catalyst Partner Program
Channel Chief: John Machonis, Senior Director, Americas Channel Sales
Partner Program Details: https://www.crn.com/partner-program-guide/ppg2025-details?c=103
What elements of your program do you wish more partners took advantage of and what are its benefits?
Gigamon has an incredibly rich SPIFF program for both the partner sellers and partner sales engineers. Each persona should be positioning Gigamon to their customer-base and claim these SPIFFs.
HP Inc.
Program Name: Amplify
Channel Chief: Kobi Elbaz, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Global Revenue Operations
Partner Program Details: https://www.crn.com/partner-program-guide/ppg2025-details?c=111
What elements of your program do you wish more partners took advantage of and what are its benefits?
1. AI Masterclass Training available on HP partner portal. 2. Leverage HP Amplify Data Insights to enhance the customer buying journey and strengthen long-term strategies with descriptive, predictive, prescriptive information and customer leads. 3. Utilize More-for-More aspect of the program that rewards cross-portfolio selling of PS hardware, peripherals and services.
Laserfiche
Program Name: Laserfiche Solution Provider Program
Channel Chief: Josep Domingot, Vice President of Sales
Partner Program Details: https://www.crn.com/partner-program-guide/ppg2025-details?c=136
What elements of your program do you wish more partners took advantage of and what are its benefits?
We offer a robust suite of marketing collateral, webinars, events, customer training, and UTM links to track website hits. Partners who leverage our online ad spending and marketing collateral have significantly built up their top-of-funnel. We would recommend all our partners adopt this strategy.
Microsoft
Program Name: Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program
Channel Chief: Nicole Dezen, Chief Partner Officer
Partner Program Details: https://www.crn.com/partner-program-guide/ppg2025-details?c=145
What elements of your program do you wish more partners took advantage of and what are its benefits?
All partners taking advantage of the AI opportunity, starting with AI training and certifications which empower them to master Azure OpenAI and Copilot technologies. These resources enhance technical expertise, unlock co-sell opportunities, and validate capabilities, helping partners differentiate in the market and capitalize on the growing demand for AI solutions.
NetApp
Program Name: NetApp Partner Sphere
Channel Chief: Jenni Flinders, Senior Vice President, Worldwide Partner Organization
Partner Program Details: https://www.crn.com/partner-program-guide/ppg2025-details?c=150
What elements of your program do you wish more partners took advantage of and what are its benefits?
Partners should take advantage of the multiplier effect driven by add-on and extended services, building capabilities with NetApp Services Certified Tracks. Partners who deliver extensive services and support for their customers throughout the entire lifecycle can drive significant revenue growth with their NetApp businesses.
Palo Alto Networks
Partner Program Name: NextWave Partner Program
Channel Chief: Michael Khoury, Vice President, Global Partner Programs
Partner Program Details: https://www.crn.com/partner-program-guide/ppg2025-details?c=167
What elements of your program do you wish more partners took advantage of and what are its benefits?
I'd like to see partners focus more on recurring revenue models through services and lean into “platformization” while investing in increasing their commitment to Palo Alto Networks, honing their expertise by adding specialized resources across our AI-driven platforms - we want to see significant growth and intentionality in this area.
Red Hat
Program Name: Red Hat Partner Connect
Channel Chief: Stefanie Chiras, Senior Vice President, Partner Ecosystem Success
Partner Program Details: https://www.crn.com/partner-program-guide/ppg2025-details?c=181
What elements of your program do you wish more partners took advantage of and what are its benefits?
Red Hat introduced a standardized deal registration process for partners globally, which allows partners to register opportunities to receive additional discounts and support. Partners that take advantage of this streamlined deal registration process can realize additional margin opportunities as they successfully register and develop new business with Red Hat.
Sophos
Partner Program Name: Sophos Partner Program
Channel Chief: Chris Bell, Senior Vice President of Channels, Alliances and Global Development
Partner Program Details: https://www.crn.com/partner-program-guide/ppg2025-details?c=207
What elements of your program do you wish more partners took advantage of and what are its benefits?
Sophos encourages more partners to leverage its comprehensive co-marketing campaigns to drive demand and grow their business. By utilizing the lead referral ID system, partners can efficiently track, protect, and manage all generated leads, ensuring clear visibility into lead performance and ownership.
ThreatLocker
Partner Program Name: ThreatLocker Partner Program
Channel Chief: Collin Ellis, Senior Sales Engineer
Partner Program Details: https://www.crn.com/partner-program-guide/ppg2025-details?c=227
What elements of your program do you wish more partners took advantage of and what are its benefits?
ThreatLocker urges partners to leverage available marketing resources for business growth. Customizable assets offer partners a valuable opportunity to enhance their marketing efforts, reaching a broader audience and maximizing the benefits of the program.
Wasabi Technologies
Program Name: Wasabi Partner Network
Channel Chief: Jon Howes, Senior Vice President of Global Sales
Partner Program Details: https://www.crn.com/partner-program-guide/ppg2025-details?c=241
What elements of your program do you wish more partners took advantage of and what are its benefits?
More Wasabi partners should take advantage of the Wasabi Account Control Manager. As an authorized partner, they receive free access and it is a game-changing tool, allowing management of their end-user accounts from one single pane of glass. It simplifies all aspects of managing cloud object storage-as-a-service.
WatchGuard Technologies
Partner Program Name: WatchGuardONE
Channel Chief: Michelle Welch, CMO and Senior Vice President of Business Strategy
Partner Program Details: https://www.crn.com/partner-program-guide/ppg2025-details?c=242
What elements of your program do you wish more partners took advantage of and what are its benefits?
WatchGuardONE specializations unlock a universe of benefits, incentives and discounts designed to help partners be more successful and increase their go-to-market capabilities. We've seen that partners with three or more specializations are more likely to see increased sales and encourage our partners to explore opportunities for further Specializations.
Zebra Technologies
Program Name: PartnerConnect
Channel Chief: Robert Armstrong, Chief Marketing Officer
Partner Program Details: https://www.crn.com/partner-program-guide/ppg2025-details?c=245
What elements of your program do you wish more partners took advantage of and what are its benefits?
We encourage our channel partners to take advantage of–and invest in–digital transformation by providing essential tools and education for improving their digital landscape and adapting to evolving customer purchasing behavior. Our Collaborative Business Plan aligns partner goals with strategies, fostering collaborative effective partnerships.
