VMware Takes Wraps Off Multicloud Adoption Program for Channel Partners

by Kelly Teal

VMware is betting a big part of its future on multicloud adoption and wants its channel partners to do the same.

On Tuesday, the cloud computing vendor went public with the new Multicloud Adoption Program. The initiative delivers tools and financial incentives to partners handling the managed and professional services aspects of cloud migrations. VMware positions the program as acting "as a bridge in the early stages of a customer's cloud journey (assessments and proofs of concept) with those rewarding ongoing cloud consumption, ensuring partners can benefit throughout the customer life cycle."

There are, of course, requirements partners must meet to qualify for the Multicloud Adoption Program.

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A Partner's Perspective

Bob Olwig, executive vice president of global partner alliances at World Wide Technology, agreed. VMware's Multicloud Adoption Program "is all about acceleration," he said.

The new VMware initiative, then, "will allow us to add even more firepower of technical and business resources to help customer along their cloud journey," Olwig said.

That's an attractive proposition for a company such as WWT. The Missouri-based technology services provider already reaches organizations across the globe. Now, with VMware's Multicloud Adoption Program, it gains even more heft. Olwig said it's hard to predict how many WWT customers will take advantage of the Multicloud Adoption Program. But WWT will introduce it "to nearly all" of its VMware customers.

In terms of differentiation, the new incentive will give WWT a chance to showcase "greater value" to end users, and fund proofs of concept and technical assessment, Olwig sad.

Olwig said the Multicloud Adoption Program is "not entirely unique," because other cloud vendors have similar offerings. However, he added, "it's unique in that it's coming from VMware, [which] is by far the most ubiquitous technology in our customers' data centers."