Program Archives - EasySAM https://easysam.co.uk/tag/program/ Software Asset Management. Simplified. Mon, 02 Jun 2025 11:08:05 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://easysam.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/easysam_icon-60x60.png Program Archives - EasySAM https://easysam.co.uk/tag/program/ 32 32 VMware drops the lowest tier of its partner program – except in Europe https://easysam.co.uk/news/vmware-drops-the-lowest-tier-of-its-partner-program-except-in-europe/ Mon, 02 Jun 2025 11:00:49 +0000 https://easysam.co.uk/?p=35277 The 'Registered' tier is being scrapped, but Europe remain unaffected - with Broadcom saying that there are "no program changes to announce in Europe".

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The 'Registered' tier is being scrapped, but Europe remain unaffected - with Broadcom saying that there are "no program changes to announce in Europe".

Published on 2nd June 2025

Broadcom’s VMware business unit has dropped the lowest tier of its channel program, a move one analyst has said will benefit its rivals.

The virtualisation pioneer currently operates a four-tier channel program spanning Pinnacle, Premier, Select, and Registered partners.

On Sunday the business unit announced the retirement of the Registered tier.

A blog post written by Brian Moats, Broadcom’s Senior Vice President for Global Commercial Sales and Partners, states VMware made the decision because “the vast majority of customer impact and business momentum comes from partners operating within the top three tiers.”

Laura Falko, Broadcom’s Head of Global Partner Programs, Marketing & Experience, told The Register “The vast majority of these [Registered] partners are inactive and lack the capabilities to support customers through VMware’s evolving private cloud journey. That’s why the Registered tier is being retired to ensure every active partner meets a higher standard of technical, sales, and service readiness.”

Falko said that VMware will give Registered partners 60 days’ notice before deauthorisation and then “work proactively with affected customers to transition them to qualified partners in the new ecosystem, ensuring continuity and support throughout the change.”

VMware has also introduced new requirements for partners in its remaining tiers.

The virtualisation giant will require Pinnacle and Premier partners to maintain dedicated sales and technical resources, and to “execute joint business plans with VMware to ensure alignment and delivery with mutual results.”

The Broadcom business unit is also “beginning the process of transitioning partners who no longer meet the minimum program requirements or have not demonstrated consistent engagement,” suggesting even Pinnacle, Premier, and Select partners are not safe.

VMware were asked to define “consistent engagement” and Falko told said it includes “regular deal activity”, ongoing participation in joint sales activities, staying up to date with training, and “sustained, proactive commitment to a partner’s VMware customer base.”

Falko was also asked what these changes mean for users of VMware’s vSphere products, the server virtualisation bundles that Virtzilla has of late de-emphasised in favour of its Cloud Foundation private cloud bundle.

Her response was that nothing will change for vSphere customers but added: “The focus on value realisation for customers subscribing to VMware Cloud Foundation reflects a broader move to simplify, integrate, and modernise customer environments with and through our partners. Customers will be better supported by partners who can guide them toward this modern private cloud model.”

Moats described the changes as “a pivotal moment.”

He wrote, “For customers, it means access to a stronger, more capable partner ecosystem—one built to support IT modernisation, fast-track AI initiatives, and strengthen cyber resilience, all powered by VMware Cloud Foundation.”

Yet more change

VMware has already made big changes to its partner program, including dropping some cloud service providers.

The company later modified those changes, because they meant some customers would lose access to cloudy resources.

Mega-distributor Ingram Micro did not appreciate VMware’s changes and ended its relationship with the virtualisation giant.

“Broadcom seem intent on destroying what was one of the most successful partner ecosystems in the industry,” said Gartner VP Analyst Michael Warrilow

“Reducing the number of partners will only further galvanise the industry to find alternatives,” he added. “These partners will rush in to the waiting hands of Microsoft and Nutanix and AWS.

Warrilow said interest in VMware alternatives is so high clients want advice about them every day.

“The tragedy is that [VMware’s hypervisor] ESXi remains loved,” he said, adding “That’s becoming less relevant with every inflated quote [Broadcom] sent to a customer.”

Broadcom is not the only vendor changing channels. In early May, Microsoft also announced a plan to “deepen our investment in partners who are delivering transformational impact with customers, aligned to our strategic imperatives.”

VMware’s private cloud push accelerates

VMWare’s channel changes come as the organisation prepares to deliver Cloud Foundation 9 (VCF 9), the bundle of products it says will allow users to build private clouds that are cheaper to operate and more efficient than comparable public cloud infrastructure.

Ahead of that release, VMware has published a licensing document that includes a requirement for customers using version 9 to provide a “compliance report” every 180 days detailing their licenses and usage of VMware software. Failure to submit the report may “result in features and functionalities of the management plane of the Software will be degraded and/or blocked in addition to support entitlements for this Software being suspended.”

The company has also advised that some older hardware won’t support VCF 9.

Several social media posts have claimed that VCF 9 will retire VVOLs, a storage management feature. VMware has not responded to a request for comment on the matter. A senior technical team member at one of VMware’s main storage partners, whose role does not permit them to make comments to the media, said that those posts are not entirely inaccurate.

VMware’s annual user conference commences on August 25th it is expected that VCF 9 will debut at the event.

Source

https://www.theregister.com/2025/06/01/vmware_channel_changes/

Image Credit

Christian Reinke via Pexels

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]]> Microsoft is retiring one of its most popular software partner programs https://easysam.co.uk/news/microsoft-is-retiring-one-of-its-most-popular-software-partner-programs/ Fri, 30 Aug 2024 09:18:26 +0000 https://easysam.co.uk/?p=32829 Partners face a significantly higher bill as Microsoft scrap the Action and Learning Packs in favour of "more expensive, cloud-based options".

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Partners face a significantly higher bill as Microsoft scrap the Action and Learning Packs in favour of "more expensive, cloud-based options".

Published on 30th August 2024

Microsoft has revealed a potentially significant change in its software licensing which could leave some partners with an unexpectedly high bill.

The company announced the discontinuation of its Microsoft Action Pack and Microsoft Learning Pack, effective from January 21, 2025, pushing partners towards more expensive, cloud-based options.

Microsoft explained the move will help it with, “evolving the partner benefits offerings to provide partners with the tools and support they need to continue to lead the way in the shifting tech landscape.”

Microsoft pushes customers toward more expensive subscriptions

The company’s suggested replacements, Partner Success Core Benefits and Partner Success Expanded Benefits, shift away from on-prem solutions in favor of cloud services.

Despite the promised accessibility, the transition could come with increased cost and reduced flexibility for some partners. One disgruntled customer said that they’d have to go from spending £390 + VAT for Action Pack to £735 + VAT for Partner Success Core. The partner also noted that it complicates efforts to recreate customer environments that rely on legacy software.

This isn’t the first time that users have been subject to a change – previously, Microsoft attempted to remove Internal Use Rights (IURs) from the licenses, but reseller network backlash forced the company to reverse its decision.

The news wasn’t totally unexpected, though. The launch of new benefits packages at the start of 2024, including Partner Launch Benefits, Partner Success Core Benefits and Partner Success Expanded Benefits, hinted at the impending retirement of the Action Pack.

To pacify partners, Microsoft is promising to add more than 20 “in-demand product licenses,” including “several Microsoft Copilot products, Defender for Endpoint, and Microsoft GitHub.”

Those reluctant to make the change so soon can continue to purchase or renew Microsoft Action Pack or Learning Action Pack until January 21, 2025, so long as their existing renewal is on or before this date. By doing so, they’ll have access for another year.

Source

https://www.techradar.com/pro/microsoft-is-retiring-one-of-its-most-popular-software-partner-programs

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BoliviaInteligente via Unsplash

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]]> What Software Asset Management programs do for higher education https://easysam.co.uk/knowledge-base/what-software-asset-management-programs-do-for-higher-education/ Fri, 29 Mar 2024 11:00:00 +0000 https://easysam.co.uk/?p=29905 Schools may be breaking up for the Easter holidays - but it's never the wrong time to learn about the benefits of SAM!

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Schools may be breaking up for the Easter holidays - but it's never the wrong time to learn about the benefits of SAM!

Published on 29th March 2024

It was once a daunting task to manage thousands of student, staff and faculty devices in higher education. It became even more difficult as colleges embraced hybrid learning and remote work, introducing personal devices into the mix and allowing work across multiple time zones and platforms. For IT departments, this presented a multitude of challenges and security concerns, not to mention drain on manpower.

In the past, managing devices might have meant literally going from computer lab to computer lab, with IT staff members physically downloading updates and other software onto each device. But now, keeping the whole ecosystem online can be done digitally.

This is where software asset management (SAM) programs come in. These are highly organized systems for managing a variety of devices, supporting each step of the lifecycle. Products like Microsoft Intune, Jamf and ServiceNow offer these capabilities, and they might be just the solution that higher ed needs to level up efficiency and safety across administrative, educator and even student devices.

In a recent CDW white paper, experts suggest optimizing logistics and funding to rethink how institutions deploy, manage and sustain device programs. The authors point to shrinking post-pandemic budgets and supply chain issues, all amid the backdrop of a “proliferation of devices,” which can enhance user experiences but also cause new challenges.

Here’s what IT staffs in higher education should consider as they look to implement a school asset management or software asset management (SAM) program.

How School or Software Asset Management (SAM) Benefits Higher Ed

Today’s college students expect to at least have the option to learn online, and 70 percent even express a preference for doing so over in-person learning, according to the University of the Potomac. This evolution in higher education, along with the ability of students, faculty and staff to use their own devices, has led to an increased need for a single platform or management program from which to control software. This is even more important due to the staff recruitment and retention challenges IT teams face, especially in the realm of security and privacy.

SAM programs ensure software on all devices is university-approved and being used securely and efficiently.

Beyond security, there are a variety of other benefits — financial, logistical and even safety — that come with investing in a school or software asset management program. However, an EDUCAUSE poll showed that institutions aren’t using these programs to the extent they could. Just 1 in 4 institutions reported using a SAM program, according to survey data released in December 2022.

Paige Johnson, vice president of education marketing at Microsoft, which offers the asset management program Intune, says there are a few possible reasons for the lack of adoption. Some management tools, for example, address only the needs of commercial customers, rather than education-specific apps such as learning management systems and discipline-specific software. Others might not see a net positive financial cost-to-benefit ratio, though Johnson says “Intune also provides benefits that far outweigh the costs, and often moving to cloud management offers significant cost savings versus traditional on-prem management products.”

Here are some benefits higher education institutions might enjoy.

Easier device tracking and updating

Higher education institutions can improve security and free IT staff members to do other, more strategic tasks, leaving the days of walking lab to lab in the past. “It’s the ability to track all of your inventory — your device and software inventory — in one place, so that you can easily look at what is and isn’t being used, easily update things and make sure they are compliant,” says Mat Pullen, senior product marketing manager for education at Jamf.

He adds that in the past — when IT departments were centralized, and learning and working occurred almost exclusively on campus — everything was under IT’s control. Now, the increase in personal devices, even if they are university-owned, raises additional questions and challenges that need to be addressed.

Improved safety

Relying on users to update their own devices could make institutions more vulnerable to cyberattacks, Pullen says.

“Higher ed at the moment is at such risk of network threats, malware and phishing — if you don’t know what’s on the device, or whether it’s had its security patches, then the likelihood of that device being the infraction point is a lot higher,” he says. “Having it enrolled in an asset management program is going to give you insight into what those problems are.”

With the average cost of a security breach at around $3.65 million, according to IBM’s 2023 Cost of a Data Breach report, purchasing an asset management program proactively is much cheaper. Pullen points out that IT staff can give end users a choice of when to update, but with an asset program, they can eventually force an update after a countdown, to ensure safety and security.

Options for bring-your-own-device users

Some IT staff leaders might hear concerns from students and staff about how a school asset management system could limit the use of their own BYOD devices. Johnson says this isn’t the case.

“These programs empower colleges and universities to oversee devices throughout their entire lifecycle,” she says. “However, some individuals who bring their own devices to university environments may opt out of device management, preferring to remain outside the institutional infrastructure.”

She adds that there are misconceptions about the “extent of visibility and control” the institution would have over personal devices. In addition, users might benefit from more flexibility.

“Whether studying or working from home, a coffee shop or across different campuses, users can seamlessly access necessary services without disruption,” she says.

Streamlining duplicate programs

In higher education institutions where separate colleges, schools, departments or programs might be siloed from others, there may be similar or duplicate software programs installed on devices, which can cost the institution twice as much.

Asset programs, Pullen says, can help IT departments see where those licenses have been allocated and how frequently they are being used.

“If we actually had one version, you have cost savings around professional development,” he says. “Rather than training two sets of staff to use two different types of software, why don’t we just use the same piece of software and train them in one go?”

Increasing IT staff bandwidth

When IT departments aren’t manually updating devices, they are free to allocate their staff — as much as half, in some cases — to other tasks entirely.

“There are a lot less manual hours going into it, so the cost savings is in personnel and more efficient use of those people,” Pullen says.

Similar to the ChatGPT-era fear of being replaced, Pullen says, IT staffs could understandably be worried about these programs taking their jobs, but that fear is unfounded.

“With rising cybercrime, their role is transformed into not just managing devices but looking at the data they’re getting to better use the devices, and to understand the security risks to help people raise awareness. They aren’t just fixing keyboards anymore and can be more proactive rather than reactive,” Pullen says.

Allocating access and connectivity resources appropriately

If you don’t know how many devices and what types are trying to log in to your network, it can be a massive strain on the IT infrastructure. Colleges can make adjustments to their networks and support distributed usage patterns based on that information, even adding access points to bolster Wi-Fi coverage in popular places like parking lots.

Weighing the Pros and Cons of Implementing a SAM program

While it can seem like a big decision and will require an initial investment, Pullen explains that housing all device management in one program is a safer, more efficient way forward for higher ed tech staffs. At some point, he explains, it may be a good idea to weigh the increasingly substantial financial and safety risks of not implementing SAM. It’s worth a conversation with your IT staff about the future of your program and the direction of your leadership principles, and how SAM plays into that.

Source

https://edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2024/03/what-software-asset-management-programs-do-higher-education-perfcon

Image Credit

Pixabay via Pexels

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]]> VMware customers face uncertain future as Broadcom ends partner programs https://easysam.co.uk/news/vmware-customers-face-uncertain-future-as-broadcom-ends-partner-programs/ Thu, 11 Jan 2024 10:23:36 +0000 https://easysam.co.uk/?p=29290 Only Broadcom's favourites will be able to continue selling VMware-related offerings once the program comes to a close on April 30th.

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Only Broadcom's favourites will be able to continue selling VMware-related offerings once the program comes to a close on April 30th.

Published on 11th January 2024

VMware’s new owner is ending the virtualization and cloud computing company’s partner programs. It’s unclear who or how many current partners will be able to sell VMware-related offerings after April 2024, leaving potential for tens of thousands of businesses to be disrupted.

Broadcom, which closed its VMware acquisition in November, told The Register in late December that “effective February 5, 2024, Broadcom will be transitioning VMware’s partner programs to the invitation-only Broadcom Advantage Partner Program.” This signaled the end of VMware’s partnerships with solution providers, resellers, and distributors. But today’s news reportedly reveals a final closure date for the cloud services provider partner program, which debuted in 2019.

Today, The Register reported that Broadcom recently shared an end-of-partnership date specifically for VMware cloud service provider partners, which work with VMware through the VMware Partner Connect Program that launched in 2020.

“Effective April 30, 2024, the ability to transact as a VMware Cloud Services Provider, under the VMware Partner Connect Program, will come to an end,” a notice sent to partners reads, per The Register.

VMware customers under a wave of uncertainty

Broadcom hasn’t detailed how it will determine who is invited to its partner program, leaving the possibility that thousands of cloud service providers, distributors, resellers, and other types of solution providers and their customers will soon lose access to VMware. In 2022, CRN reported that VMware had 28,000 partners.

CRN has reported that VMware partners are upset about the lack of clarity around getting into the Broadcom program and say that the confusion has left VMware users in the dark.

Broadcom may be trying to save money by having a smaller channel to support. However, Broadcom has claimed that ending VMware partner programs will bring greater profitability opportunities to partners “through simplified bundled offerings and more opportunities for service revenues.”

Broadcom’s lack of specificity has resulted in speculation about what it will take to continue to work with VMware. The Register noted “unconfirmed fears” that only 10 percent of the biggest VMware cloud service providers would be invited into Broadcom’s partner program. VMware has about 4,000 service provider partners, according to a January 4 report from CRN, which claimed that only 10–15 percent of them are expected to get invites into the Broadcom program, citing an unnamed source.

By altering how VMware tech is purchased, long-term customers may be forced to change critical infrastructure or work with a new, potentially much bigger, provider than they’re used to. There’s a deeper concern that Broadcom’s VMware won’t prioritize smaller customers during this evolution.

Meanwhile, VMware partners face potential upheaval in their businesses, too. Broadcom has reportedly seized control of an estimated 2,000 of VMware’s top accounts, barring other companies from making money off VMware’s biggest customers, per a CRN report Monday,

In the weeks since taking ownership, Broadcom, which spent $61 billion to buy VMware from Dell Technologies, has quickly changed the landscape for VMware’s users and partners, including engaging in job cuts. As promised, Broadcom is quickly moving VMware into a subscription-based business. It ended VMware perpetual license sales, challenging VMware users and partners, in December.

Companies with ties to VMware should be prepared for more changes and to consider how much they’re willing to pay to continue a relationship with Broadcom.

Source

https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2024/01/broadcom-killing-vmware-partner-program-could-disrupt-thousands-of-businesses/

Image Credit

CRN

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]]> IBM launches new incentives in next phase of Partner Plus program https://easysam.co.uk/news/ibm-launches-new-incentives-in-next-phase-of-partner-plus-program/ Fri, 14 Apr 2023 10:21:25 +0000 https://easysam.co.uk/?p=27388 Ecosystem general manager Kate Woolley says partners can find more benefits with IBM’s new Value Seller tool.

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Ecosystem general manager Kate Woolley says partners can find more benefits with IBM’s new Value Seller tool.

Published on 14th April 2023

IBM has rolled out the new incentive program aligned with its recently launched IBM Partner Plus Program. The implementation of the incentives comes three months after IBM replaced its longstanding PartnerWorld with the new channel program.

Dave La Rose, IBM’s general manager of ecosystem sales, outlined the incentive program Wednesday during IBM’s Americas sales kickoff. Nick Otto, head of global strategic partners, joined La Rose in explaining the incentives during the virtual event.

Partners were expecting the new incentives to go into effect at this time. In a blog on Thursday, IBM ecosystem general manager Kate Woolley marked the next phase of the new program. Woolley had set April as the time frame for launching the new incentives when she announced the IBM Partner Plus program.

“Based on partner feedback, we’ve created a simple incentives stack – across software and infrastructure – that maximizes transparency and predictability,” Woolley wrote. “It provides a clear line of sight into how a partner’s business decisions impact the incentives they receive, including how to maximize incentives and eligibility. Partners can start earning in the new incentives program on day one of joining as an IBM partner, making it easier than ever to scale their growth.”

3 Components of the Incentive Program

Woolley noted that partners can benefit more from the new program with IBM’s new Value Seller Tool. The tool provides upfront discounts for infrastructure and services when partners are eligible. During an interview with Channel Futures, Woolley broke down the new incentives into three components.

First is a base sales incentive available to partners across all opportunities. Next is a proficiency accelerator. If a partner has skills in selling and supporting a specific product, IBM tacks on an accelerator incentive.

“We believe that it’s going to be a better experience for our partners and our clients when our partners have the skills that we want them to have in that product,” Woolley said.

The third component is IBM’s select territory accelerator, when a partner steps into an opportunity outside of IBM’s house accounts.

With the IBM Partner Plus launch, IBM told partners it would phase out PartnerWorld by the end of June. In July, as Woolley indicated in January, IBM will start rolling out the program’s new co-marketing initiatives. At the center of the co-marketing efforts is IBM’s new demand engine. Woolley said the co-marketing efforts are on track for this summer.

“I think it is a huge step forward in terms of the support and the benefits that we’re providing to our partners, as well as the marketing kits that are part of that,” she said. “And then, in addition to that, we have the more traditional co-marketing program where our partners that are growing with us continue to have access to a very attractive set of co-marketing funds to help drive their business.”

Early Momentum

Woolley said she is pleased with the number of partners quickly embracing the new program. In her post, she said 1,400 new partners had joined the program since IBM announced it. More than 45,000 people have enrolled in the new skilling program.

This week marks one year since IBM went live with its new deal registration platform. Woolley marked the portal launch at the Channel Partners Conference & Expo in Las Vegas a year ago. Woolley said she is encouraged by partner uptake with the new portal.

“We’re seeing a lot of engagement with the portal, which makes it very easy to register deals and have an immediate line of sight into a partner’s earning capability,” she said.

Overall, Woolley emphasized IBM’s added ecosystem investments. The company has increased the resources supporting the IBM Ecosystem.

“Last year, we doubled the amount of brand-specialized resources and increased our technical resources by 35%,” she noted. “In January of this year, we increased resources by another 50%.”

Source

https://www.channelfutures.com/new-changing-channel-programs/ibm-launches-new-incentives-in-next-phase-of-partner-plus-program

Image Credit

Carson Masterson via Unsplash

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