New partner engagement model and program framework provides simplified, transparent paths for partner collaboration to fuel business outcomes for customers

Red Hat, Inc., the world's leading provider of open source solutions, today announced the transformation of its global partner experience to offer greater simplicity, choice and flexibility to partners collaborating with Red Hat. As part of this transformation, Red Hat is modernizing its partner engagement model by launching a new program framework, introducing upgraded tools to enable streamlined cross-collaboration and providing easier access to critical technology, training and resources.

IDC predicts that 70% of vendors will pursue a customer-led ecosystem orchestration strategy by 2025¹, indicating that technology vendors must be more firmly aligned with partners to deliver the coordinated solutions, services and deployment flexibility that customers are looking for in today’s shifting IT landscape. To address these changing customer demands, Red Hat is implementing a simplified approach to its partner engagement model to provide greater transparency across the ecosystem and apply a partner program framework that is purposely designed with the end customer in mind.

By utilizing a modular program design, partners will have greater choice and flexibility in how they choose to work with Red Hat to align more closely with their own business strategies and customer needs. These new enhancements to the Red Hat partner engagement model will help improve the partner experience and encourage ecosystem co-creation that will deepen partner capabilities to better support customers.

Introducing the Red Hat Partner Practice Accelerator Program

As part of the partner engagement model transformation, Red Hat is introducing the Red Hat Partner Practice Accelerator Program, which focuses on identifying, enabling, validating and incentivizing partners within the commercial segment, including mid-market and SMB (small medium business) customers. With this program, Red Hat is empowering partners to lead the full commercial customer lifecycle while providing differentiated and impactful business outcomes using Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform and Red Hat OpenShift. The Red Hat Partner Practice Accelerator Program comprises a select group of partners that have demonstrated advanced technical knowledge and proven business practices by achieving Red Hat professional services credentials and certifications related to automation and application development, positioning them as trusted experts who are able to architect, implement and configure tailored solutions for commercial customers.

As experts in automation and application modernization, certified services partners in the Red Hat Partner Practice Accelerator Program can help envision, shape and execute digital transformation roadmaps for customers, no matter how complex. To do this, these select partners will have extensive access to resources and professional services opportunities to enhance their profitability, differentiate themselves in the market and generate customer success using Red Hat technologies.

Partners that have completed professional services certification and are currently participating in the Red Hat Partner Practice Accelerator Program include: Li9 Technology Solutions, Linux Plus, Sekom and Stone Door Group.

Bolstering partner enablement and training resources

To support its updated engagement model, Red Hat is investing in making resources, expertise and open source solutions more accessible to partners to help them operate more seamlessly with customers. In addition to continuous improvements to partner certification and credential pathways on the Red Hat Partner Training Portal, and expanded visibility for co-created solutions in the Red Hat Ecosystem Catalog, Red Hat is offering partners a platform for on-demand product demonstrations, including step-by-step instructions and talking points for customers.

Red Hat Demo Platform, which will be made available through Red Hat Partner Connect, will provide product demos that span the entire Red Hat portfolio for partners to showcase open source innovations with customers in a low-risk environment. The platform includes multi-product demos and fully scripted workshops that can be used to deliver one- or two-day experiences for customers. Red Hat Demo Platform will also grant participating partners early access to demos of new product releases ahead of general availability.

Red Hat Partner Connect offers a single destination for new and current Red Hat partners to access these new enhancements and all of Red Hat’s tools and resources to drive greater customer value and partner profitability. Red Hat Partner Connect makes it simple for partners to register and log into the partner portal to gain immediate access to the tools they need to build their business with Red Hat.

Availability

Red Hat plans to launch its updated partner engagement model and programming in the second half of 2024. Red Hat Partner Practice Accelerator Program is an invite-only program now open to eligible partners globally. Red Hat Demo Platform is scheduled to be available in May 2024.

Supporting Quotes

Stefanie Chiras, senior vice president, Partner Ecosystem Success, Red Hat

“This latest evolution of Red Hat’s partner engagement model sends a clear signal to our partners that Red Hat is prioritizing the ecosystem as the leading catalyst for customer value. In order to deliver on the promise of hybrid cloud with customers, it is critical that we innovate collectively and transparently, and empower partners with easy access to information and shared data so we can address our customers’ unique challenges as a united front.”

Steve White, program vice president, Channels and Alliances, IDC

“You can see the Red Hat DNA in this evolution of the new Red Hat partner program. The intent behind the changes are well founded and facilitate simpler and more flexible partner engagement. Red Hat has put the partner ecosystem at the center, and supporting partner facing tools, incentives, and alignment with sales will all be aligned to create a better partner experience. There are further improvements planned to support this approach, and we’re excited to see the partner impact.”

Armando Arias, president and CEO, Li9 Technology Solutions

"The Red Hat Partner Practice Accelerator Program will provide significant value to customers by identifying experienced partners that have committed to maintaining expertise with Red Hat OpenShift and Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform to translate a customer's requirements into best-in-class solutions that provide true business and technology value. At Li9, we're excited to extend our collaboration with Red Hat to deliver impactful business outcomes for customers together."

Burak Şahin, assistant general manager, Sekom

"We're delighted to be part of the Red Hat Partner Practice Accelerator Program. The program aligns with Sekom’s commitment to service excellence. This program will establish Sekom as a trusted expert, capable of delivering most complex digital transformation projects using Red Hat technologies."

Additional Resources

• Learn more about the partner experience on Red Hat Partner Connect
• Browse the Red Hat Ecosystem Catalog

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About Red Hat, Inc.

Red Hat is the world’s leading provider of enterprise open source software solutions, using a community-powered approach to deliver reliable and high-performing Linux, hybrid cloud, container, and Kubernetes technologies. Red Hat helps customers integrate new and existing IT applications, develop cloud-native applications, standardize on our industry-leading operating system, and automate, secure, and manage complex environments. Award-winning support, training, and consulting services make Red Hat a trusted adviser to the Fortune 500. As a strategic partner to cloud providers, system integrators, application vendors, customers, and open source communities, Red Hat can help organizations prepare for the digital future.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this press release may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements provide current expectations of future events based on certain assumptions and include any statement that does not directly relate to any historical or current fact. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements included in this press release represent the Company's views as of the date of this press release and these views could change. However, while the Company or its parent International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM) may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company's views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release.

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¹Source: IDC, 2023 Channels and Alliances Predictions, March, 2023, Doc #US50479020.

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