Google Cloud Set to Launch Partner Program Updates in 2026

Rolling out in the first quarter of 2026, Google Cloud will launch the Google Cloud Partner Network, part of a strategy to recognize partner contributions across the customer lifecycle.

Google Cloud Partner Network shifting how success is measured

The new program will apply to all partner types, according to Colleen Kapase, VP of channels and partner programs at Google Cloud.

The new program shifts the organization from measuring program work to valuing customer outcomes, including rewarding success in co-sell sales efforts, high-quality service delivery, and shared innovation with ISVs.

According to Kapase, the new program is meant to put the customer first by narrowing requirements to focus on partner efforts that deliver real, measurable value.

Further, they are integrating AI into the program to ease partner participation and allow more focus on customers as opposed to routine program administration.

Among the key highlights of the program are:

• New tiers: The program will shift from a two-tier structure to a three-tier structure that features Select, Premier, and a new Diamond tier. The intentionally selective Diamond tier is the highest level and reserved for partners who consistently deliver exceptional customer outcomes. Each tier will reflect joint customer success and be determined based on exceptional outcomes across Google Cloud and Google Workspace.
• New baseline competencies: Through a new competency framework, the program will shift away from today’s specializations to reward partners for their technical and sales capabilities. This new framework will focus on a partner’s proven ability to help customers, measuring two key dimensions: capacity (knowledge and skills development, validated by technical certifications and sales credentials) and capability (real-world success, measured by pre-sales and post-sales contributions to validated closed/won opportunities). The framework will operate independently of tiering, allowing partners to earn a competency without depending on a program tier.
• New advanced competency: New global competencies will introduce a second level of achievement to signal a higher designation: Advanced Competency.

“We’re making the program simpler by moving away from tracking the work of traditional program requirements, such as business plans and customer stories, and towards recognizing partner contributions – including pre-sales influence, co-innovation, and post-sales support,” writes Kapase.

Delivering automation across the program

Google Cloud’s Partner Network Hub will deliver automation and transparency, building on successes from tools like the Earnings Hub and the Statement of Work Analyzer.

“The administrative responsibility for partners to participate in the program will be dramatically reduced through the use of AI and other tools,” writes Kapase. “For example, a key change is the introduction of automated tracking across tiering and competency achievements. We will automatically apply every successful customer engagement toward a partner’s progress in all eligible tiers and competencies.”

Google Cloud will be hosting a series of webinars and listening sessions in early 2026 to educate partners on the new program and ease the transition.

Enabling AI for customers has been a key strategy for Google Cloud this past year, recently expanding its partnership with Palo Alto Networks to deliver AI security. Read more about the collaboration and how the companies are embedding protection across AI workloads.