Partners help NetApp in covering the last mile and build trusted relationship

Ganesan Arumugam 
Director – Channel Sales, 
NetApp

“Given the geographical spread and diverse nature of Indian market, partners play a critical role on coverage and building customer relationship and extend quality service. Apart from the technical features and price, the customer’s trust on the supplier plays a critical role in decision making. Partners help vendors in covering the last mile and build trusted relationship. NetApp looks at partners as an extended sales arm to reach and service customers.

Core competencies of NetApp’s Partner program 

Our partner program focusses on three aspects broadly. One is enabling partners to understand our technology solution and able to serve their customers better. This is done through programmatic sales, pre sales and technical training organised for partner resources. Second is helping the partner to build their business and grow revenue. 

We invest our MDF through partners to carry our marketing activities to build the funnel. Third is profitability. Our various rebate and incentive programs are built to reward the partner on the investment and efforts they put on our business.

As NetApp continues to evolve, our partners remain an extension of us and play a key role in our go-to-market strategy. We are dedicated to enabling a profitable and focused partner ecosystem that is committed to driving core business growth and to leading customers to the cloud and beyond. NetApp’s partner program, the Unified Partner Program (UPP) is transparent and consistent across all partners.

A partner-first approach is critical to growing our shared business with investments in award-winning programs, tools, training, enablement, incentives, rewards for growth, differentiation, and support for partner-led services strategies. 

We are committed to working with partners, hand in hand, providing the proactive management, marketplace recognition, and open communication that partners need to be successful. The partner management team works with all partners to define joint business opportunities, development activities, and target marketing initiatives and to support their technical needs.”

“As NetApp continues to evolve, our partners remain an extension of us and play a key role in our go-to-market strategy. We are dedicated to enabling a profitable and focused partner ecosystem that is committed to driving core business growth and to leading customers to the cloud and beyond.”