Juniper retunes programme with new specialisations

Changes aimed at giving more support to partners focused on the datacentre

Juniper has updated its partner programme, introducing a number of specialisations designed to give its partners a "competitive advantage".

Last year saw the introduction of Juniper's Cloud specialisation, which selects resellers that dedicate time and resources in this area, and provides them with training and go-to-market plans. This was focused on the public cloud, but now Juniper is extending it to include the private cloud and adding a Datacentre specialisation, Martin Hester, head of EMEA channel said.

The private cloud aspect will provide resellers with workshops, online training and a closer level of customer engagement to support partners skilled in this area.

The Datacentre specialisation is similar and it's "around how do we combine routing, switching and automation and build that into the overall datacentre," Hester said.

It will reward partners that dedicate time and effort in the datacentre with more training and marketing. Hester said this specialisation is designed for partners with a focus on other technology areas such as VMware and want to move into the networking space with Juniper. And also for Juniper partners looking to create a more complete solution by adding in VMware's NSX (network virtualisation).

The rewards for partners in the Datacentre and Cloud specialisations will be more around investing time and effort with the reseller than financial incentives, Hester said.

He said the programme changes are designed to help resellers expand their business and add in professional services.

"We launched the new programme last year and this is about evolution," he said. "We have made huge strides in the enablement piece with ease of doing business and how we help partners grow with the marketing. We have done a good job of that, but it's about that gradual evolution and doing things even better."

Juniper has undergone a lot of change of late, refocusing the business and changing CEOs in 2014. But Hester said the focus is now on giving its channel a consistent message.

"We had a good 2015 and set a good course and it's going to be more of the same," he said. "Many of the partners like what we are doing, we are building momentum, and there is a lot of excitement in the Juniper ranks; we don't want change for change's sake."

He said Juniper is looking to expand into mid-market security and it is looking to get more partners on board to cover this space.