IBM replaces Partner World program with new IBM Partner Plus

IBM has announced plans to launch a new and upgraded IBM Partner Plus to replace their current Partner World Program. The new program is part of their new strategy to double in hybrid cloud and AI markets that are valued at $1 trillion. The new program will be divided into tiers and partners will unlock new benefits such as specialised financial, go-to-market support, and education support as they rise through the tiers. The partners will also be provided with badges to mark their level of expertise in various solutions.

“We've heard from partners that they want a simplified experience that helps them win with clients. ​​I'm confident these changes and our continued investment in our ecosystem will make IBM the partner of choice across the industry, and together we can drive growth for partners, clients, and IBM,” the General manager at IBM Ecosystem, Kate Woolley said during the announcement.

The IBM Partner Plus is built around 3 key motivators, competitive incentives, Insider Access, and enhanced support and benefits. Partners will start at the Silver tier and will need to build their way through the Gold tier to the Platinum tier to access all available benefits including up to a threefold increase in total investment from IBM.

To ensure the partners are well motivated, IBM is offering them real-time visibility into available incentives, a way to predict potential earnings and an automated deal share engine for lead generation.

"IBM is more serious than ever about putting partners first," said Bo Gebbie, president at Evolving Solutions, an IBM partner that helped in the development of the new program. “They've listened to our feedback, and it is reflected in the new partner experience that makes it easy for us to collaborate, rewards our investments, and fuel growth."

Different partners will have different ways to scale through the program. For Sell and Service, it will be through proficiency badges as well as revenue growth. ISV or Build partners will scale based on client-ready validated solutions that integrate IBM technology and scale their revenue with IBM technology in the market.

There is also a provision for strategic partners that have deep partnerships with IBM Consulting and IBM Technology. These include AWS, Microsoft, Adobe, Cisco, SAP, Samsung, Salesforce, and more.

The new program has a provision called IBM Partner Accelerator for onboarding and training new partners for the first 6 months.

Moreover, partners can consult IBM’s technical experts for assistance in developing AI, security, and cloud solutions on an open hybrid cloud.

The new programme is set to take effect on April 1. Existing partners will maintain their current tier until July 1 when they will become eligible to advance to the new tiers as they meet the set criteria.