Red Hat has announced new channel initiatives for the APAC region in 2007 including formation of a regional partner advisory board to review channel programs and providing counsel on strengthening partner profitability in the long term.
The open source vendor aims to achieve this through consistent and measurable programs, aligning customer requirements with partner business models and Red Hat solutions, and enhancing the Red Hat partnership experience through simplifying renewals and rewarding performance.
Gus Robertson, vice president, Red Hat Asia Pacific shared the company’s vision and product roadmap for 2007 with around 200 representatives of distributors and VARs at the Red Hat Asia Pacific Partner Conference 2007 held in Singapore this month.
Robertson also outlined key initiatives and programs that will enable partners in Asia Pacific to benefit from an enhanced channel ecosystem strategy by improving margins and increasing revenues. One such initiative is the Red Hat Asia Pacific Partner Advisory Board, an independent panel of distributors and VARs formed to provide ongoing advisory and review on the effectiveness and sustainability of business partner programs implemented across the region. Global channel strategy consulting firm Channel Enablers has been appointed as the mediator and chief advisor to the advisory board.
“The formation of the Asia Pacific Partner Advisory Board will enable us to address the exact needs of our business partners here, and is evident of our rapid business expansion and the growing demand for Red Hat solutions across the region, said Gery Messer, president-Asia Pacific, Red Hat.
Messer informed that this advisory board is created upon the basis of listening to channel partners and understanding what their primary business drivers are, and seeking to establish a two-way communication outlet and a mutually beneficial partnership through aligning Red Hat’s business model and channel strategy to them.
Other channel initiatives include the extension of the Red Hat Certified Service Provider Program (CSP) to Asia Pacific and a revamped partner portal featuring new enablement tools that allows channel partners to better manage leads and simplify renewals will also be made available to partners in Asia Pacific by Q2 2007.
Greg Eckstein, Vice President for Asia Pacific at Channel Enablers said, Vendors and channels have different priorities and conflicting interests. As partner profitability has a major impact on a vendor’s bottom line, promoting a healthy long-term affiliation with channel partners is thus instrumental to market success in the technology industry. Red Hat has taken a great leap forward in resolving potential issues that may arise from either side and ensuring a common interest between both parties.