Partner ecosystem drives VMware transformation – News

Broadcom Inc.’s partner ecosystem — a web of resellers, integrators and service providers — is undergoing a transformation as enterprises embrace private cloud and AI-ready infrastructure.

What was once a transactional model centered on licenses and basic services is giving way to a new framework where certifications, integration skills and professional services define partner value. Vendors are tightening requirements, partners are doubling down on advanced capabilities and customers are pushing for seamless adoption models that deliver long-term business results. This evolution signals a higher bar for participation in the ecosystem — and a more strategic role for partners in shaping enterprise transformation, according to Tara Fine (pictured, left), Americas channel chief of Broadcom.

“We’ve spent the last year redefining our partner program, pulling all of our partners into the advantage partner program and taking a look at our ecosystem and saying who’s all in and making some decisions around that,” Fine said. “It really is around capabilities, enablement, services and recognizing our partners for what they can deliver for our customers.”

Fine and Pierre Cayouette (right), VMware practice lead at Pellera Technologies, a Broadcom partner, spoke with theCUBE’s John Furrier and Rebecca Knight at VMware Explore, during an exclusive broadcast on theCUBE, News Media’s livestreaming studio. They discussed how Broadcom and its partners are reshaping the partner ecosystem to emphasize professional services, certifications and customer value in the VMware Cloud Foundation 9 era. (* Disclosure below.)

Partner ecosystem takes center stage

This shift has created new expectations for partners that go far beyond license sales. Organizations now require partners who can provide adoption strategies, manage consumption and deliver specialized services, reflecting a more collaborative and less competitive dynamic, according to Fine.

“We’re looking for our partners … to take all of the adoption and consumption efforts and making sure our customers can realize the value of what VCF9 can deliver,” she said. “We’re looking for our partners to take on all of our services. We’re not competing with partners anymore.”

Partners such as Polera Technologies demonstrate how this transformation plays out in practice. Formed from the merger of two experienced companies, Polera built a dedicated VMware SWAT team to adapt quickly to Broadcom’s accelerated pace of change. This structure allowed the organization to scale expertise across multiple practices and support customers through the turbulence of industry transition.

“The role of the SWAT team was basically to very quickly … go in the field quickly and, with Broadcom, understanding the pace of the changes,” Cayouette said. “It’s been a wild ride, but you’re talking about doubling down. That was our way of doubling down was that give it that focus. It’s like okay things are going to change really fast. We need to structure ourselves differently as a partner to be able to absorb the bumps and to make it through that period.”

The new partner profile emphasizes advanced certifications and measurable capabilities. Broadcom has restructured incentives around a point system that rewards training, enablement and professional services delivery, ensuring partners are equipped to handle enterprise-scale transformations. The result is a more selective but higher-value network of partners able to deliver consistent outcomes for customers, Fine explained.

“Over this last year, we’ve evolved to this point system that really does recognize and reward partners for their capabilities, their certifications, the volume of business and really driving toward the professional services side,” she added. “Having those three elements and making that very profitable for our partners is what we believe is critical to getting them to double down and for our partners to realize the value of our platform is getting those partners to be able to architect and deliver and deploy everything that we need them to go do as if they were representing.”

Here’s the complete video interview, part of News’s and theCUBE’s coverage of VMware Explore:

(* Disclosure: Broadcom Inc. sponsored this segment of theCUBE. Neither Broadcom nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or News.)

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