Broadcom announced that it is eliminating the lowest tier of VMware’s channel program, with the sunsetting of its “registered” tier. VMware will retain its pinnacle, premier and select tiers.
“The vast majority of customer impact and business momentum comes from partners operating within the top three tiers,” said Brian Moats, Broadcom’s SVP for global commercial sales and partners. “We continue to prioritize partners who can lead customers through transformation to a modern private cloud and help them unlock the full potential of VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF).”
The move is the latest in a series of decisions over the past 18 months, designed to align with Broadcom’s go-to-market mission of better delivering private cloud platforms that fuel customer innovation.
With it, Broadcom targets a reduction in the number of partners authorized to resell VMware, specifically in the Americas, Asia-Pacific and Japan, instead deepening relationships with select partners focused on transformative CX.
In addition to this change, Broadcom will also increase program expectations for the remaining tiers:
- Pinnacle partners will be required to hold Expert Advantage professional services partner status. Alternatively, partners can qualify by maintaining a dedicated SMB practice that supports scalable adoption.
- Pinnacle and premier partners must maintain dedicated sales and technical resources to support customer engagements across the lifecycle.
- Pinnacle and premier partners must execute joint business plans with VMware to ensure alignment and delivery with mutual results.
- All partners must remain active and in good standing.
In conjunction with the final point, Broadcom has begun transitioning partners that no longer meet the minimum program requirements, or have not demonstrated “consistent” engagement.
“As we streamline our partner ecosystem, some customers will need to transition to a new partner relationship,” said Moats. “That’s why the partners selected to move forward with Broadcom will carry a greater responsibility and a higher standard of performance. We’re entrusting this focused group with a broader set of customers and, in return, expect them to lead with excellence, operate at scale and deliver real impact on the journey to a modern private cloud.”
