Alliance Aces

In this episode of Ecosystem Aces titled "Neil Blecherman: Driving ROI Through Tech Partnerships," we dive deep with Neil Blecherman,Tech Partner Program Director, Nutanix into the intricacies of forming and nurturing technology partnerships. With a rich background that spans across industry giants like Nutanix and Intel, Neil shares his seasoned insights into partner program management, the challenges of validating solutions on the Nutanix platform, and the pivotal role of technical validation and evolving industry requirements.Neil elucidates the importance of collaboration between Nutanix and its over 500 partners for mutual product development and maximizing return on investment. He offers a unique perspective on prioritization strategies within the biopharma and technology sectors and how these approaches drive the adoption of the latest technologies to boost revenue.Furthermore, Neil discusses the critical yet often overlooked aspect of measuring success in technology partnerships, highlighting the gap

In this episode of Ecosystem Aces titled "The Art of Enablement: AWS’s Approach to Partner Growth," we're joined by Udita Bhattacharya, AWS Global Partner Enablement Lead, who leads AWS's global partner enablement teams. Udita shares insights into AWS's dynamic enablement mechanisms, including personalized events designed to boost partners' business acumen and market performance. We delve into the importance of creating easily accessible, engaging content that educates and excites AWS partners about marketing to end-users, and how AWS is scaling its enablement efforts to cater to its extensive network of partners through targeted support and segmentation.Udita highlights the challenges and strategies involved in educating distributors and VARs on new solutions, emphasizing the role of the AWS Marketplace and innovative programs like the Customer Engagement Incentive (CEI) program. Additionally, we touch on the evolution of partner enablement from marketing towards a more sales-oriented approach, focusing on t

In "Innovation Through Collaboration: Qualtrics, GSIs, and the Power of AI," we delve into Qualtrics's pivotal role in transforming the tech and GSI landscape. Our guest, Alina Everett, Vice President of GSI Alliances - EY + Deloitte at Qualtrics, shares her journey at Qualtrics, focusing on the success of joint co-sell initiatives, experience management, and leveraging AI for deep sentiment analysis. She highlights how collaborations with GSIs are modernizing customer experiences and expanding to improve employee satisfaction.Alina discusses the power of partnership in innovation, emphasizing the strategic use of AI in interpreting emotions from surveys to connect deeply with users and accelerate insights. The conversation also covers the essence of co-innovation with GSIs and ISVs, the impact of building solutions based on market demand, and the importance of a sales narrative that underscores the mutual benefits of partnerships.Listeners will get insights into how Qualtrics is steering industry-specific so

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the world underwent a drastic transformation. One of the areas that had to adapt the most was the physical working environment, which, for most organizations, had to shift entirely to remote work. This transition presented numerous challenges in ensuring that the working environment could effectively fit within the edges of a single screen. In today’s episode, Patrick Piwowarczyk, Head of AV Integrator Channel at HP, shares insights into how his company approached collaborating with partners to develop end-customer solutions. These solutions played a pivotal role in facilitating the transition of the working environment, ensuring productivity, equality, and connection within organizations. We also discuss: The role of educating partners to communicate the value of your solutionsWhy having different go-to-markets ensures the same solutions can be leveraged in multiple waysThe importance of building honest relationships with partners—and how this can improve co-selling strategies.

In our tech-driven era, relying on the outdated paradigm of "we can do it ourselves" is no longer sustainable for any company. To truly flourish in today's dynamic landscape, businesses need to embrace ecosystem thinking, mirroring the collaboration found in the natural world where diverse ecosystems cooperate towards common goals.In this episode, Simon Ninan, VP and Head of Strategy and Growth at Hitachi Vantara, explores the significance of an actionable outside-in strategy. This strategy transcends mere ideation, ensuring future-proofing and meaningful partnerships. By adopting this approach, your business can position itself for success, delivering substantial value to both end customers and stakeholders.We also discuss:Simon's efforts in instigating a cultural shift at Hitachi Vantara to integrate partnerships into their core strategy.Hitachi's innovation approach and the importance of active involvement in the startup ecosystem.The value of relationships and the necessity to prioritize an ecosystem-cent

Establishing and maintaining enduring partnerships is a task that undeniably transcends the capabilities of one individual. Yet, within their responsibility lies the capacity to be an effective leader—guiding the team in unison and ensuring a shared direction. This involves skillfully overseeing the team through consistent delegation, strategic prioritization, and fostering open communication.In this episode, Katie Landaal, SVP, Global Alliances and Ecosystem at ZoomInfo, delves deep into the company’s partner categories —technology, solutions and sales— highlighting the importance of clear messaging and co-selling in driving successful partner relationships, all steered by thoughtful leadership.We also discuss: How ZoomInfo’s partner strategy has evolved over the last 18 monthsThe importance of integrating a partner ecosystem as main pillars in businessesWhy GenAI could play a pivotal role in improving co-selling processesHere are some additional episodes featuring other ecosystem leaders that might interes

Establishing partnerships is pivotal for business growth. However, the significance of not only cultivating these alliances but also ensuring their appeal to both prospective and existing partners is equally crucial as building the partnerships.In today’s episode, we are joined by Jeff Mattan, VP, Global Partner Programs and Operations at BeyondTrust, who shares insights from his over 17+ years of experience designing long-term, high-impact channel partner programs — and how using a strategic and communicative approach has helped him pave the way for success across several companies. Through his unique perspective, Jeff has been able to incentivize partner programs —through technical enablement, certifications, and workshops— and increase registrations up to 200%. Join us as we discuss: BeyondTrust's shift from a legacy transactional channel to an ecosystem providing value to customers How Partner Operations can play a critical role in driving change internally and with partnersThe importance of cultivating e

Innovative minds, where new ideas and technologies constantly spark from, are scattered around every corner of the world. However, accessing capital and resources to bring these innovations to life is a bottleneck for a lot of individuals and startups. A potential answer to bridging this gap while generating revenue and value to customers is co-creating with partners.In this episode, we are joined by Vanessa Sorenson, Chief Partner Officer ANZ and Managing Director at Microsoft New Zealand. She shares valuable insights about some of her organization’s partner programs, including the Founders Hub Program, and how they are transforming the innovation landscape in the AI and Cloud spaces by fostering investment and employing marketplace strategies that enable the co-selling and scaling of innovation. We discuss:Microsoft’s pivotal role in the AI and Cloud spaces The significance of aligning goals and compensation plans to drive collaborative innovation with partnersThe rapid advancement of AI technology and its

In the ecosystem world, being forward thinking is crucial — if you are building partnerships when you need them, and not when you anticipate the needs of your customers and the trends of the market, you won’t be on the cutting edge. In this episode, we are joined by Dan Hod, VP, Global Cloud Partnerships and Business Development at Amdocs, as he talks through his long-time journey in the tech industry, leveraging a clear long-term vision to build synergistic partnerships that deliver customer value. Dan also shares how Amdocs is shifting from vendor-specific to open source technology and thus enabling him to work closely with hyperscalers like AWS, Azure, and Google to create a mechanism for cloud consumption and transacting via the marketplace. Join us as we discuss:How Dan is building relationships with cloud partners at Amdocs around open source, network, big data, and AI Growing joint business with hyperscalers by approaching smaller telcosAmdocs’ growth plan in the FSI to become a leading telcoHere are s

Competition is an inherent trait of all industries' marketplaces. However, when strong partnerships are built, collaboration allows business leaders to address customers' specific needs more efficiently, whether it is by multi-dimensional engagements or single product-based solutions.In today’s episode, Amit Sinha Roy, VP Global Head of Strategic Alliances at Tata Communications, dives deeper into managing multiple-scale alliances through joint service creation, prioritizing collaboration over competition, and driving business success with differentiated market solutions. Amit also emphasizes the importance of framing the term "strategic alliances" with a programmatic, long-term approach, with investment from both parties of the partnership. Join us as we explore: The importance of evolving from a connected world to a hyper-connected one How strategic alliances help companies navigate the fast-paced technology landscape and stay competitiveHow a synchronized approach across regions and segments ensures effect

The idea of succeeding alone in today's global market landscape is becoming obsolete. Addressing intricate challenges demands a profound shift in approach—one rooted in strategic collaboration. By investing in robust partnerships and recognizing the unique capabilities each party brings, the tech industry can address highly complex problems, delivering value to customers faster than ever. These collaborations not only foster innovation but also drive sales, propelling businesses toward unprecedented growth.In this episode, Nick Otto, Head of Global Strategic Partnerships at IBM, delves into the synergy of hybrid cloud and AI. He explores how this fusion has led to the creation of multiscale models, generating actionable insights in collaboration with industry leaders and $1B+ partners. Nick also shares the investments IBM is making in its ecosystem, highlighting the importance of strategic partnerships for success.Join us as we discuss:How generative AI is shaping the business landscape for the foreseeable fu

Today more than ever, digital transformation is necessary to optimize process and system efficiency to keep up with fast moving changes in the market. Achieving this with partner ecosystems is the best solution to advance quickly and deliver value to customers.Today’s guest, Madhuri Chawla, Vice President, Global Head of SAP Strategic Partnership & Ecosystem at Kyndryl, a company that spun off from IBM with 90,000 employees and a roster of 4,000 customers, shares insights on how she’s been leading the digital transformation co-creating and co-innovating through partner ecosystems. Madhuri delves into Kyndryl’s strategic partnership with SAP, the development of their cutting-edge product, the Digital Blueprint, and their journey towards becoming a services powerhouse. Join us as we discuss: The relevance of building cyber-resilient futures in a digitalized era where security breaches pose threats to businessesDriving industry-shaking change with strategic partnerships by focusing on co-innovationThe import

When marketing is done right, it’s an integrated approach that builds value and demand, captures that demand in-market and delivers on a brand promise with an excellent experience. According to Allison Munro, Chief Marketing and Ecosystem Officer at Vena, ecosystems aren’t much different.Over the past few years, Allison has played a significant role in the unique evolution of Vena’s ecosystem strategy. Rather than treating ecosystems as a sales execution in business, Allison’s team transformed partnership from a business function to an integrated go-to-market component. For most, this ambitious shift marks the beginning of an exciting journey into unknown territory—fortunately, there is an unexpected professional with the expertise in motion strategy ready to lead the way: CMOs, market leaders and marketing experts.The goal of this transformation is clean-cut and simple: create a seamless, frictionless experience from awareness through purchase and beyond for shared customers. But the path to go-to-market in

Over the past decade, a digital transformation has sparked an organizational evolution causing companies to shift to virtual enterprises. While the shift to virtual quickly escalated with no sector immune to the changes, there has been one source of sustainable, successful growth: ecosystems.Open platforms and ecosystems offer new avenues for growth, efficiency and innovation. Moreover, companies focus on fewer, deeper ecosystem combinations to build their growth agenda. In this episode, we talk with Meredith Stowell, Vice President, Ecosystem at IBM. According to Meredith, successful ecosystems are broad, but they also rely on the depth of the various relationships within the ecosystem. When deep connections are fostered, both parties can meet all growth opportunities and capabilities. Further, these ecosystems leverage the flexibility of open technologies like hybrid cloud to accelerate more quickly and efficiently than before within specific industry contexts. Join us as we discuss:What virtualization has

No company can build everything all the time. What they can build is a high-value multi-partnering ecosystem that will provide invaluable solutions to end customers while benefiting each partner in the ecosystem. In a world where tech is developing at lightning speed and innovations like 5G spark industry-erupting shifts in systems and priorities.Carlos Aragon, now the Senior Director of Product Marketing, Applications at Vonage has years of hands-on experience across multi-partner ecosystems and offers a wealth of proven knowledge regarding the challenges and opportunities of these ecosystems. He shares his playbook for building (and maintaining) a high-functioning multi-partner ecosystem that chooses collaboration over competition, values continuous innovation and communication, and solves problems for each and every stakeholder. Join us as we discuss:How 5G networks are changing the game in telecommunications, and what that means for partnerships, collaboration and communicationManaging high-value, multipl

The hardest part of creating an ecosystem environment is making sure all of the players understand the broader vision. Successfully building this innovative environment can create loads of new opportunities in addition to new forms of data analytics. Transforming your organization to an ecosystem model requires that you first have an idea of where you are today - and then develop a vision and roadmap for where you want to be. Creating an ecosystem-led organization begins with breaking down the transaction-based mindsets of partners and your own organization, and accepting and understanding major cultural changes takes ample time and dedication. A step further, this leads to identifying potential players from your ecosystem of partners that could improve the customer experience and analyzing the value that each partner brings to the table.To get to an established ecosystem, a well-defined plan, accurate data and supportive leadership create opportunities to get there. Innovating, marketing, selling and deliver

Often, you don’t know how much your business depends on its partners until there is an issue. Born out of the chip shortage a few years ago, Paul Dumke’s external ecosystems team began closing gaps that previously weren’t even realized. By focusing on the external supply chain of their customers and suppliers, the team has been able to streamline processes and prevent issues before they come to fruition. As the Sr. Director of Ecosystem Strategy and Operations at Intel Corporation, Paul knows that Intel is an ingredient company, depending on its partners to sell their products. Building on Intel’s internal culture of partnership, the ecosystem team helps to catalyze not only Intel but also its partners and their entire supply chain. While Intel is a market leader in tech, its value to its partners does not end there. They have expanded to offer a variety of necessary assistance to their partners, including visibility and business development. Paul joins us today to share insights and lessons learned from over

A great foundation in ecosystems and alliances can supercharge your growth and create cohesion across a broad range of functional areas. Without this alignment, organizations can struggle to thrive.In this episode, we speak with Susan Tommy, Director of Strategic Partnerships at Vena Solutions, a self-proclaimed generalist and ultimate partnerships expert. Susan shares her unique journey into integrations and how service partners help deliver ultimate value to customers.Join us as we discuss:The whirlwind of change across integrations over the last decadeRole of Vena’s service partners in delivering value to customersHow to maintain alignment across growth and multiple partnershipsHere are some additional episodes featuring other ecosystem leaders that might interest you:#164 Jason Eichenholz: How Wipro Accelerated Revenue Growth with Their Ecosystem#156 Libby Greco: Get Out There and Break The Glass#154 Suresh Kumar Tulluri: Is Your Roadmap Future Proof?#152 David La Rose: Strengthening Partner Commitments I

Building solutions to bring to market in a partnership requires a solid integration strategy. Where you want to go and the best way to get there relies on one simple question: what value can you and your partner bring to clients?We speak with Dana Vickey, Global Vice-President, Alliances and Partners at Eightfold.ai about successful partnerships and product road mapping. At the end of the day, the journey is about making the client or customer successful — to do that, you must aggregate data and customer insights to design a successful strategy.Join us as we discuss:Four quadrants of partner motion, and the importance of eachBalancing the fine line of partner and customer success to build mutually beneficial product roadmapsGoing to market prepared — what it looks like from all avenuesHere are some additional episodes featuring other ecosystem leaders that might interest you:#164 Jason Eichenholz: How Wipro Accelerated Revenue Growth with Their Ecosystem#156 Libby Greco: Get Out There and Break The Glass#154

When you look at the ISV ecosystem, it's all about working with partners like ISVs, MSPs and MSSPs. Our guest today refers to this relationship building and management as build motion — it's all about helping partners embed software into their commercial solutions to take to market successfully. In this episode, we’re joined by Monica Aggarwal, Vice President of ISV Build Ecosystem, Technology & Software OEM Partnerships at IBM, who is an expert in all aspects of partner build motion. Monica and her team are responsible for all build partnerships with independent software vendors (ISVs) large and small as well as technology partners and OEM partners. She dives into her experience to share how you can build and maintain mutually beneficial partnerships for overall business success.Join us as we discuss:Creating a commitment to ISV, tech, and OEM partners to deliver value for customersBuilding an efficient and effective partner experience in software developmentIBM's approach to partnerships, and why partn