The Dell Technologies Partner Program is an international channel partner program that provides partners with business development, sales and marketing resources.
The Dell Technologies Partner Program was launched in February 2017 under the name Dell EMC Partner Program following Dell's $67 billion acquisition of EMC and the creation of Dell Technologies. The program combines elements from Dell's former partner program, PartnerDirect and EMC's partner program, while also introducing new elements.
Dell Technologies is a self-described family of businesses that touts a comprehensive portfolio and numerous cross-selling opportunities for its channel partners. In addition to Dell EMC products and services, partners can sell products and services through the program from other companies under Dell Technologies. Those companies include network security company RSA Security and public cloud infrastructure provider Virtustream.
Businesses interested in participating in Dell's partnership program must submit a partner application that Dell must then approve. Completing the application is the only listed requirement for consideration. Before beginning the online application, candidates must clear their browser history and set their preferred language to English.
In the application itself, candidates choose one of four other channel tracks:
Dell provides individual Partner Program Guides for candidates to review before applying. There is a guide for each track that helps applicants choose the appropriate track.
A candidate company must provide a sponsoring distributor that it has a working relationship with. Dell contacts the reference to confirm that the candidate meets business expectations and compliance standards.
If Dell approves the application, the candidate organization receives authorized partner status. Approved partners get login credentials and access to the Dell Technologies Partner Portal, which houses the partnership programs and benefits.
Some of the benefits of being a Dell Technologies partner include the following:
Partners receive additional specific benefits based on the partnership tier they qualify for.
There are four tiers in Dell's partnership program. They provide rebates and other benefits, such as the following:
Tier eligibility is based on a partner's revenue, including a minimum tier revenue requirement. Eligibility is also based on training and certification achievements. Partners can specialize in one line of business, such as storage products, to move up the program's tiers. They can also cross-sell across the Dell EMC portfolio and meet certification requirements for multiple lines of business to advance in the program.
The Dell Technologies program also offers earned and proposal-based marketing development funds (MDF). Platinum and Titanium partners can earn MDF rewards, which are accrued on a predictable revenue-based rate. The rates are different for each tier.
Dell distributes proposal-based MDFs to partners based on proposals aimed at expanding regional sales and marketing priorities. The program also offers the top three tiers rebates for targeted business sales and customer acquisition.
The Dell-EMC merger introduced new partner tracks and a tier-based model. The program has a number of partner tracks depending on a company's business model. They include the following:
When details of the program were first announced at Dell EMC's 2016 Global Partner Summit conference, the vendor assured partners it would not allow channel conflict. Dell EMC introduced strict deal protection policies and barred its direct sales teams from competing with partners on partner-registered deals. The Dell-EMC program also provided incumbency protection for partner-led accounts.
In 2019, Dell added two solution badges to its program: Cloud Platform and Virtual Desktop Infrastructure. These enable partners to validate their capabilities to support and deploy these solutions.
Learn more about Dell's channel program and how it's supporting customers' digital transformation from the company's global channel chief.
28 Feb 2022