Credit: REUTERS/Mike Blake
Intel is consolidating all its channel programs under a single umbrella in an effort to foster "better collaboration" among partners.
From the second half of next year, all Intel's channel schemes, including Technology Provider, Cloud Insider and IoT Solutions Alliance, will be rolled into the unified Intel Partner Alliance program.
Under the new regime, Intel claims it will "enhance the value, relevance and experience for partners" and "accelerate innovation at scale”.
The new program will also cover more partner types such as cloud service providers, solution integrators and software vendors.
There will also be an increased focus on solutions and partner collaboration, an improved training curriculum with specialised paths, plus "intelligent matchmaking", which will connect partners and solutions specific to their requirements.
An important cornerstone of the program will be the new Intel Partner University, which is a digital training platform serving up 200 hours of training on Intel products with specialised learning paths and course recommendations.
The Intel Partner University is available now, being positioned as a “key capability to enable growth through the new program".
It provides a variety of live and on-demand training, personalised recommendations and competencies and badges where partners can build their expertise in certain areas, and gain recognition for their ‘Pro’ status among customers.
So far there are 12 competencies including artificial intelligence, high performance computing, IoT solutions, cloud infrastructure, and Intel technologies such as vPro and Optane memory.
Additionally, Intel will also launch its Solutions Marketplace, a platform that will facilitate real-time collaboration with experts across its ecosystem.
“The proliferation of cloud and edge computing, the roll-out of 5G, as well as the growth of AI and analytics have driven a seismic shift in how companies operate and serve their customers," Intel general manager of global partner enablement, Eric Thompson said.
"Intel is making significant investments and actively preparing our partners to take advantage of these data-centric opportunities and grow their businesses."
