Schneider promises fresh growth for partners
APC parent launches new partner programme designed to uncover new opportunities in areas such as IoT
Energy management vendor Schneider Electric has launched a new partner programme designed to entice resellers into high-growth markets outside the traditional IT space, such as the Internet of Things (IoT).
Schneider spoke to CRN as the news broke that engineering management solution provider AVEVA has acquired a number of Schneider's industrial software assets.
The deal will see Schneider take a 53.3 per cent share of the group's capital, which is said to be worth £1.3bn.
The APC by Schneider Electric programme, which is divided into four tiers, aims to assist partners that want to move beyond the products and services they already offer.
A Registered tier offers training, tools and said upport, partner locator and a rewards programme. A Select level adds a design portal along with an opportunity registration programme, offering special pricing and discounts if a partner uncovers areas of growth for Schneider.
Above that, the Premier level gives partners access to a marketing development fund pool and lead generation, while the top Elite tier also includes a datacentre demo programme. Partners qualifying for the top two tiers must achieve at least one Premier certification or data certification, and hit agreed revenue requirements.
Max Dame, vice president of channel marketing with Schneider Electric, told CRN: "We want to attach our partners to the trends that we see in the IT market - like edge computing or the Internet of Things - and grow in those new areas in addition to the traditional environments these VARs and MSPs have been playing in."
He explained that if Schneider - which provides businesses with electrical hardware such as voltage equipment and circuit breakers - identifies a particular area that requires the products or services of one or more of its partners, it will make those partners aware, enabling them to tap into that market and grow profit.
He said: "It might be an industrial installation such as a crane or any industrial equipment; that kind of leans towards IT as there is a lot of processing going on.
"That processing needs power protection, it needs securing and monitoring. We see a lot of opportunities there outside their [partners'] traditional environment. Those growth areas should help tremendously."
Dame added that the vendor has noticed changes in the IT landscape, which he says is moving away from hardware towards solutions and services, either providing services direct or selling them from a vendor.
He concluded: "This is happening quite rapidly, but it is an exciting time because if you have been selling hardware in boxes for the past 10 to 20 years, then it is time to learn something new and move on."
APC (American Power Conversion), a power protection vendor, was acquired by Schneider Electric in 2007.