Channel Leaders reflect on their most impactful partner initiatives
In a year marked by fierce competition for margin, here’s what ten channel leaders did to stay top of mind for their partners
In 2024, vendors across the board pulled out all the stops to strengthen their partner relationships — rolling out new partner programmes, increased MDF funding, self-service tools, and more.
With competition heating up, the pressure was on to offer initiatives that would genuinely drive partner success and open up new revenue streams.
So, self-assessment time. How did these initiatives land?
We asked ten channel leaders from some of the biggest vendors in the industry to share the most innovative initiative their company introduced in 2024 — and the impact it had.
Wayne Hollinshead, Asimily
“We launched a new partner programme, the first for Asimily. Rolling the programme out required attention to many areas, internally and externally, that was all new ground for Asimily. It was the start of focused efforts for Asimily to be channel-oriented. To back a programme up there needs to be good data recording for the formation of strong and lasting partnerships. Why good data? Well, it means that the planning that is done in the beginning of the year can be mapped through and areas of improvement can be marked for both the vendor and the channel.”
Martin Hester, BlackDuck
“We stood up a new PRM tool to enhance every part of the partner experience, providing more automated deal registration with faster response time, better joint pipeline management, enhanced enablement and certification tracks, more marketing automation, enhanced campaign kits, and more. This has enabled our partners to get what they need faster and more efficiently.”
Paul Flannery, Epicor Software
“In 2024, the most innovative initiative led by our team was the implementation of the partner specialisation model. Although introduced two years ago, we began seeing significant benefits last year. This programme enabled our partners to gain traction with customers by building repeatable solutions tailored to specific industries, such as precast concrete and toy manufacturing.
“The impact on our partner community has been profound. Partners who specialised in these sub-verticals have seen substantial growth in their businesses. By understanding the unique language and processes of their respective industries, they have been able to offer more value to their customers, resulting in increased customer satisfaction and loyalty.”
Patricia Murphy, Palo Alto Networks
“Creating high-value managed service offerings around our platforms that enabled our partners to create more differentiated services that delivered significant value to our customers. We replicated best practices and success in certain parts of our region across other markets and to a broader number of partners that could have a positive impact in the market.
“This was done across our AI-driven SecOps platform as well as our Network Security platform, with SASE offerings for the large and mid-market segments. We also continued to invest in our Code to Cloud platform, enabling new cloud-native partners to help us drive services and adoption into this part of the market.”
John Mitchell, Sophos
“I'm very proud of our Partner Roadshow series that we run throughout EMEA. In the last year, we visited 15 cities across Europe, with 1,500 attendees and a pipeline generated of around $15m. The series is our biggest channel investment annually, empowering our channel partners with the right skills and knowledge to promote Sophos' offering through their customer base and offerings.”
Harald Wittek, Stratodesk
“In 2024, our primary focus has been empowering our partners to leverage Stratodesk's solution for seamless Windows 10 to Windows 11 transitions. With approximately one-third of devices unable to meet Windows 11 hardware requirements, organisations face significant security and support challenges.
“Stratodesk offers a compelling alternative: converting existing hardware to run NoTouch OS while accessing cloud-hosted Windows 11 via Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop or Windows 365. This approach not only extends hardware lifespan but also enhances security and reduces costs.”
Christina Decker, Trend Micro
“This year, the European channel team introduced a region-specific partner programme featuring a dedicated benefits and discount model tailored to local market needs. The programme empowered partners to transform their business models, deliver advanced cybersecurity services, and strengthen their resilience against sophisticated cyber threats.”
Emanuela Puglisi, Barracuda Networks
“The launch of the Barracuda Partner Sales Engineer Community. This initiative aims to enhance productivity, drive revenue, and support the professional development of our partners' sales engineers. By providing access to certifications, training, and tools, we enable them to showcase Barracuda products effectively.”
Shaun Larvin, CyberArk
“In 2024, the most innovative initiative was the seamless integration of CyberArk's Marketplace, MSP programme, and Refer & Influence model into a unified partner engagement framework, underpinned by a focus around partner success. This initiative enhanced partner enablement through a revamped partner portal, offering real-time deal insights, co-sell resources, and tailored marketing tools.”
Wendy Inwood, HYCU Inc.
“Since we introduced R-Cloud, we continue to refine our programmatic approach with our SaaS-based application-focused partners to support them to educate, visualise and identify what applications in their customers' environments were protected and unprotected. We rolled out R-Graph, a visualisation tool, that enables partners to help their customers identify what SaaS applications are protected and what SaaS apps are unprotected.”