HP is changing some of the nomenclature of its PartnerOne
channel program, introducing new specialties and offering benefits in exchange.
What used to be called HP Elite status is now Specialist. HP
is making the change in response to customer feedback that indicated the term
Specialist is more appropriate to help customers identify the right partner.
In the managed print arena, HP is separating out partners
into two designations – Managed Print Specialist and Managed Print Advanced
Specialist. HP says it is providing some
additional discounts to partners from the supply perspective, as well.
HP is introducing the Document Solutions Specialist
designation. The company has been running this in pilot with a few partners who
have been specializing in managed print and related workflow technologies.
On the Personal Systems Group side, HP is introducing a
Client Side Virtualization Specialist designation. This helps partners who did
not meet the revenue requirements on the server virtualization designation
participate at the Specialist level in PartnerOne’s virtualization Specialist
designation.
On the networking side, HP will offer two networking specialist
designations, advanced and professional. The Advanced Networking Specialist
will require a revenue commitment of $500,000, the same as the previous Elite
designation for networking. The Professional Networking Specialist designation
will require a revenue commitment of $100,000. Both designations will provide
partners with “aggressive back-end rebates.”
HP is also introducing a ServiceOne specialization, enabling
partners to resell HP services and earn rebates, participate in MDF and
participate in various delivery opportunities. The designation is an evolution from the
previous Service Sales Elite designation.
Other changes include how HP aligns its sales areas.
Previously the company has gone to market with six sales areas across the
United States. Partners would have to invest in certifications in each
geographic area to maintain their Elite designations for that geography. Now
those areas for server and storage have been reduced to three to help partners
maintain those designations. Networking areas will move down to a single
geography.
HP will retire its industry vertical Elite status, Store
Solutions.
Hewlett-Packard 
