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By Rola Dagher, Global Channel Chief, Dell Technologies

Over the course of the last year, one thing has become abundantly clear – technology has never been more central than it is right now. Businesses of every size in every industry have had to adapt, with many accomplishing their three-year transformational goals in just three months. As organisations are getting a glimpse of the future, they’re coming to realise that IT is much more than just a department. Technology is the very core of the business, and essential to success. But technology means nothing without the human connections behind it.

Technology is the enabler, but our partners are the true transformers; the people who bring technology to life. Our partners offer the unique specialties, capabilities, services and vertical practices our customers require. Partners help us go faster, be more responsive and more innovative. They help us deliver infrastructure for all – from the data centre to the edge – to organisations of all sizes, in all industries, all around the world. The digital future has arrived and with it, the need for even stronger partnerships.

Partner Acceleration

Before we look to the future, let’s take a moment to reflect on the past. In Q1, we created exceptional momentum with our partners. In Q2, we accelerated to an entirely new level, and the Q2 Dell Technologies Global Channel results speak for themselves:

• Orders revenue through the channel grew 45% Y/Y.
• Orders revenue through distribution grew 54% Y/Y.
• Client Solutions through the channel grew 84% Y/Y.
• Server through the channel grew 42% Y/Y.
• Storage through the channel grew 4% Y/Y.
• VMware through the channel grew 11% Y/Y.

We stop at nothing, and these remarkable results prove it. I’m proud to be part of this winning team as we help customers thrive in this new world, and I’m grateful to our partners who choose to work with Dell Technologies. As we continue to invest in strong partnerships, we make it a priority every day to deliver on our partner commitments.

Priority one: Enhance the end-to-end partner experience

Dell Technologies listens to and acts on partner feedback. We are dedicated to making it easier to do business with us, and we’re raising the bar with automated tools and processes.

We recently completed significant upgrades to Online Solutions Configurator (OSC), enhancing the partner experience around configuring, pricing and quoting. All data centre lines of business are available through this single platform, which expedites time to market and simplifies the ability to cross-sell and up-sell with us. Additionally, partners will receive advantaged pricing when they associate an approved deal registration with their quote.¹

Priority two: Accelerate partner growth with best-in-class emerging technology

Providing best-in-class technology is at the heart of our business. To help accelerate our mutual growth with partners, we have created a new business incentive (NBI) category for networking. The ‘server+’ NBI category is now split in two: server and networking. By decoupling these lines of business, we are unlocking more eligible end-user target accounts and providing greater opportunity for partners to earn lucrative acquisition rebates.

We are also expanding our competitive swap programme to include server. Now named ‘data centre competitive swap’, solution providers can earn up to 8% in incentives and distributors can earn 2% in rebates on eligible storage and server deals.²

And finally, we are enabling partners with APEX availability. APEX Custom Solutions are available across all regions to refer, host or resell. For our newly announced APEX turnkey offers (APEX Data Storage Service and APEX Cloud Services), partners can refer or host where geographically available,³ and the opportunity to resell will be available in the coming quarters. With Dell Technologies APEX, you can expand your as-a-Service portfolio and better serve your customers and partners.

Priority three: Activate partnerships to advance sustainability, cultivate inclusion and transform lives, all while upholding ethics and privacy

When we work with partners who are committed to the same goals, our impact grows exponentially. Therefore, we are focusing on impact, business enablement and engagement across the partner ecosystem. We are committed to co-ordinating efforts to give back and provide resources and best practice sharing. Be sure to join our Women’s Partner Network for exclusive partner events and opportunities coming soon. The time has never been better to empower, mentor and support each other on a global level.

Together, we stop at nothing 

As we head into the latter part of the year, it’s important that we stay agile. We’ll continue to innovate, deliver outcomes and maximise our partnership potential. With our partners, we have the momentum, the drive and the power to shape the next wave of our industry. It’s up to us to write the next chapter of our industry’s history books. When we talk about digital transformation, my hope is that we also see human transformation with more kindness, generosity and empathy. Let’s come together to deliver the technology that advances human progress and provides greater opportunities for all. I’m extremely excited about the road ahead and grateful to be on it with our amazing partner community.

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