Rackspace, one of the leaders in hosted services and cloud computing, is restructuring its channel programs to attract more partners and provide existing resellers with incentives for selling its hosted services.
"We regard partners as an extension of the Rackspace family and have updated the Rackspace Partner Network to help ensure they receive the services and support necessary for long-term success," said Robert Fuller, vice president of Rackspace’s Worldwide Channel, in a statement. "Rackers worked closely with our partners to develop a program that creates the biggest impact and provides the best experience for them, which we believe will in turn impact the broader customer experience."
The restructuring creates four tiers—platinum, gold, silver and member—each of which carriers different compensation levels and support based on the partner’s commitment to Rackspace, revenue and size. Rackspace will offer partners commissions for pushing contract renewals and service upgrades.
Additionally, Rackspace is providing platinum partners with access to dedicated sales representatives, sales and technical training, a new portal for accessing resources and finding peers, marketing incentives and support, and discounts for contract renewals.
Rackspace, which is in a pitch battle with rival Amazon.com for dominance in the hosted computing services market, says it made the partner program changes after extensive consultation with resellers.