Smartsheet Partnership VP on CDW, PwC UK, Growing in Market

AI-powered enterprise-grade work management platform Smartsheet has recently signed a multi-year strategic reseller partnership agreement with CDW Corporation to simplify purchasing for customers and drive Smartsheet adoption at scale. 

Channel Insider spoke with Eva Schoenleitner, VP of worldwide partnerships, about the collaboration and how it enhances customer value and expands market share.

Smartsheet aims to expand market reach, add segments, and more

This partnership aligns with Smartsheet’s growth strategy, which aims to expand its market reach and customer segments. The collaboration simplifies purchasing for customers and leverages CDW’s reseller capabilities, particularly in North America.

“We are excited about the partnership between Smartsheet and CDW, and its potential to reshape the way organizations evolve their work practices,” said Schoenleitner in a press statement. “Smartsheet is positioned to expand CDW’s presence across North America to a new set of customers, helping them to redefine the possibilities of work management and create deeper value across their initiatives using our solutions.”

Part of Smartsheet’s strategy going forward includes expanding into new markets, broadening market reach, and scaling to different customer segments and verticals.

According to Schoenleitner, the partnership with CDW is part of a broader technology partner strategy, which also includes integrations and enhancements with companies such as Snowflake and Amazon.

“CDW is a major player in the industry in terms of reseller technology solutions. Also, they have a significant consulting arm,” said Schoenleitner. “Looking at the reseller component, it’s going to be one more possibility and ease of purchasing our software and our platform for existing customers and new ones. We see it as an extension and an opportunity for increasing our market share and reach in North America.” 

Expanding throughout North America is a key part of Smartsheet’s long-term goals and evolution, emphasizing that proving the success of the Smartsheet-CDW partnership will be key to that before expanding.

“It’s really now important to land this and make it successful,” Schoenleitner said. “What we’re doing right now, and it’s what we’re doing with all partnerships, is we start somewhere– in this case all North America, horizontal solutions, all verticals. It’s time to land this and show successes and actually proofpoint what we thought and how we think this is going to work.”

“As we do that and show successes, then we can probably modify it and tweak it a little bit to make sure that we have the proofpoints of how this really works with CDW, and then we can expand from there,” Schoenleitner continued.

Beyond making it easier for customers to procure Smartsheet software, the partnership expands the market reach for both companies, leveraging CDW’s expertise in procurement systems and IT departments.

Working jointly on new customers and utilizing CDW’s strategic consulting expertise will help us attain valuable insights and support around implementations.

“The current step is: let’s get the reseller agreement, the reseller relationships, the alignment of sales, the alignment of accounts going and really make sure that the customers see some immediate benefits,” explained Schoenleitner.

Smartsheet and PwC UK collaborate

Smartsheet has also pulled the trigger on another recent collaboration, this time with PwC UK, a provider of professional services.

This strategic collaboration enables PwC’s clients to streamline complex business transformation initiatives using Smartsheet technology. Further, PwC will apply its industry expertise to help clients leverage Smartsheet’s platform.

Smartsheet’s secure, scalable platform combined with PwC’s advisory services will allow clients to gain enhanced agility, foster seamless collaboration, and streamline critical project management processes across diverse industries.

“What I love about the PwC relationship is that they are experts in managing transformations and working PMO offices [project management offices], and that is exactly now a sweet spot of what our software and our platform actually does and supports,” Schoenleitner said. “So, to be working as an extension and as a useful tool to make all these transformations faster, easier, and get to stick is critical.”

Smartsheet’s technology will help optimize and run those PMO offices with clients, creating a mutually beneficial match for both organizations. Schoenleitner adds that they’ve already seen some early traction that both sides are excited about.

Along with partnerships, the channel is often defined by the frequent mergers and acquisitions that occur throughout the year. Catch up on the latest M&As from around the channel in May.