10 IT Vendor Partnerships That Might Surprise You
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Oracle and Hewlett-Packard
For all the vitriol exchanged between senior executives of these two companies, the fact remains that billions of dollars worth of Oracle software runs on HP servers sold every day through the channel. -
SAP and IBM
SAP has developed a HANA in-memory computing platform that threatens to make IBM DB2 obsolete. And, yet, IBM not only now offers HANA on x86 and Power servers; it's also one of the largest resellers of SAP applications. -
Cisco and NetApp
Cisco has almost as much NetApp storage attached to Cisco Unified Computing Systems (UCS) as it does storage from EMC, even though Cisco has a joint venture with EMC. -
Microsoft and Salesforce
Microsoft partnered with Salesforce, even though Microsoft has a fairly extensive CRM portfolio of its own. The partnership includes initiatives that will link Windows, Office and Azure-backed cloud services to Salesforce's popular CRM platform. -
Microsoft and Citrix
Microsoft has never been a big fan of desktop virtualization on servers as an alternative to running Windows locally. But, sometimes, IT organizations insist, and when they do, Microsoft often turns to Citrix and rarely to market leader VMware. -
VMware and Docker
File this under hedging a bet. Docker has gained a lot momentum for containers that create a much lighter-weight alternative to virtual machines. Now VMware finds itself partnering with Docker to manage containers. The best way to deliver containers is through a virtual machine, VMware executives maintain. -
VMware and Red Hat
Red Hat is a huge proponent of using open-source OpenStack software as an alternative to proprietary cloud management software. Now, VMware supports both proprietary and OpenStack software. -
Sprint and Google
Apple is clearly the hottest thing going when it comes to mobile computing in the enterprise. But Sprint in the enterprise is leading with Google Apps. -
Fortinet and Palo Alto Networks
File this under circling the wagons. Providers of competing next-generation firewalls, the two security vendors founded an industry consortium, the Cyber Treat Alliance. Other would-be rivals have joined the alliance. -
Oracle and AirWatch
Oracle bought Bitzer to gain access to enterprise mobility management (EMM) software, and then turned around to embrace AirWatch, a unit of VMware that provides EMM as a service. In the hot mobile market, relationships are fluid. -
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NEWS ANALYSIS: The channel is no stranger to partnerships that look a little unusual at first. Since time immemorial, solution providers have been delivering products and technologies from vendors that ostensibly compete with one another. But, as of late, vendors have been engaging more aggressively in a form of "co-opetition" that frequently leaves many inside and outside the channel scratching their heads. In some cases, the executives at the two firms may have once been at loggerheads. In others, the partners may be hedging their bets by tackling competing technologies, or they are unsure with whom to shake hands as emerging markets sort themselves out. Here's a list of 10 strange IT vendor marriages that solution providers are likely to encounter. There is no shortage of examples of these unexpected combinations across the IT industry. But in terms of the ones that are likely to present solution providers with a complex scenario to puzzle over, these 10 have the potential to be particularly perplexing. That doesn't necessarily mean deals involving these vendors won't close. It just means that solution providers might want to allow a little extra time for those involved to get comfortable with the relationships.
What Partners Need to Know About HP, ...
In the channel, HP, Inc. is a storied vendor that has relationships...Watch Now