A new era for VMware Cloud Service Provider Partners begins

Broadcom’s strategy is to drive adoption of our full stack VMware Cloud Foundation as the best subscription-based private cloud platform for our customers’ innovation. We will rely heavily on partners to help customers transform their business with our private cloud infrastructure. Our goal is to accelerate innovation, enhance customer value, and optimize profitability and market opportunities for our partners. To support our new strategy, we’ve completely redefined and are relaunching our VMware Cloud Service Provider (VCSP) program with new tiers and new benefits. VCSP partners will help take VMware Cloud Foundation to a broad set of VMware’s corporate and commercial customers and deliver it as a managed service.

By running VMware Cloud Foundation in partner clouds, customers benefit from a highly efficient cloud operating model that provides the scale and agility of public cloud with the security and performance of private cloud. VMware Cloud Providers deliver sovereign cloud services that support data residency, high levels of compliance and other jurisdictional controls.

Introducing the Broadcom Advantage Partner Program for VMware Cloud Service Provider Partners

The new Advantage Partner Program for VCSP partners is designed to build stronger relationships with our most valued partners, recognize them for their commitment to Broadcom, and provide them with the capabilities to grow their businesses through simplified pricing, improved margins, and richer benefits. Our VCSP partners will help customers achieve maximum value in less time while accelerating their transition to the cloud. The Broadcom Advantage Partner Program for VCSPs enables partners to grow revenue opportunities by integrating VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) and adjacent solutions into their cloud and managed service offerings.

Broadcom’s strategy is to bring standardization and consistency across all of the company’s routes to market. Here’s what we’re bringing to VCSP partners going forward:

• Consistent VMware Cloud Foundation Everywhere – All VCSP partners will deliver services based on the same VMware Cloud Foundation software customers deploy on prem. No more different versions of VCF for different environments. This is crucial to helping customers achieve a true hybrid cloud experience. Delivering services based on the same consistent VMware Cloud Foundation stack enables partners to focus less on infrastructure and more on differentiating their managed services and specialization.
• One Simplified Business Model – All services offered by VCSPs will now be based on a per core subscription license. As a result, customers can expect the same consistent hybrid cloud experience from a solution standpoint, and partners will compete and differentiate based on the value-added services they bring to customers.
• Delivering Value Together – For the first time, Broadcom will be co-selling with our VCSP Pinnacle partners to our corporate customer base. We are aligning our sales team with partners’ sales teams to drive go-to-market execution and help build business for the Pinnacle tier.
• Opening Doors to existing VMware Cloud Foundation customers – With license portability for VMware Cloud Foundation to partner cloud environments customers are able to move their VCF subscription between on-prem and VCSP environments (and vice versa) as their requirements evolve over time. This will enable partners to help customers interested in shifting from a self-managed to an outsourced managed services model.
• Focus, Focus, Focus – Reducing the overall size of the VCSP program will ensure we have the right partners who are capable of delivering consistent VMware Cloud Foundation-based services to customers worldwide. This change will also give VCSP partners more chances to pursue opportunities for VMware Cloud Foundation in the regions they are authorized to serve.

We have realigned the program around three tiers and introduced the concept of the Cloud Commerce Manager as follows:

• VCSP Pinnacle Partners: Pinnacle is the highest program level in the Broadcom Advantage Partner program. Pinnacle partners are our most invested and strategic partners, boasting extensive certifications, a track record of significant sales and service achievements, and broad international coverage. Holding Pinnacle status signifies a partner’s deep technological knowledge and proficiency in addressing the most intricate customer issues. Broadcom works in close partnership with Pinnacle partners, including co-selling to corporate customers, to provide the foundational technology that drives the digital landscape.
• VCSP Premier Partners: Premier Cloud Service Provider partners have highly-developed VMware practices and a consistent track record of delivering customer satisfaction. Premier partners are most often regionally focused, with robust sales and service capabilities, competencies, and technical validations for servicing the managed services needs of customers in geographically specific regions.
• VCSP Registered Partners: Registered partners are Cloud Service Providers who have achieved the minimum requirements for the Broadcom Advantage Partner Program and work through either Pinnacle or Premier partners to access VCF cloud solutions for their existing and future customer base.
• VMware Cloud Commerce Managers: Cloud Commerce Managers (CCM) are service providers to Broadcom and play two critical roles for VCSPs. First, they serve as a trusted advisor to handle all order processes, including submissions and monthly billing for VCSP Pinnacle and Premier partners, streamlining operations and allowing partners to focus on value creation for their customers. Second, they facilitate the adoption and management of VCF for VCSP Premier partners. Cloud Commerce Managers enable VCSP Premier partners to expand their services by offering technical and go-to-market support, directly addressing the challenges of cloud transformation. Cloud Commerce Managers help partners deliver a consistent VMware Cloud Foundation hybrid cloud experience, promoting innovation and flexibility.

White Label Model for VCSP Registered Tier Partners

Recognizing that not all existing VMware Cloud Providers will be able to meet the criteria of the new program, we have evolved the White Label model whereby a VCSP Pinnacle or Premier partner can deliver VMware Cloud Foundation entitlements to another VMware Cloud Service Provider in a non-branded manner, enabling the secondary VCSP partner to brand and deliver the service to their customers on their pre-existing hardware. Former VMware Partner Connect partners interested in learning more about the white label option can review the VCSP program flyer and White Label program FAQ inside the Partner Connect portal. New and existing Broadcom partners can review the same information in the Broadcom Advantage partner portal here.

We’re excited to be on this new journey with our VMware Cloud Service Provider community. Read below to hear what some of them are already saying about the opportunities the new program will bring them and the benefits they will deliver to customers.

VCSP Partner Commentary

“Our Pinnacle Partner designation positions Expedient as a preeminent full stack Cloud Service Provider, harnessing the power of VMware Cloud Foundation and its add-ons to deliver a tailored infrastructure experience across our 15 data centers and cloud availability zones,” said Jon Rosenson, President and Chief Operating Officer, Expedient. “We’ve been curating subscription-based Multi-tenant and Private Cloud managed infrastructure services for nearly two decades that empowers our clients to concentrate on their critical applications. Augmented by our suite of managed services, we ensure that our clients achieve the outcomes they need for success in an evolving hybrid IT landscape.”

“We are proud to achieve Pinnacle Partner status in the Broadcom Advantage program, solidifying our commitment to VCF platform services,” says Dan Timko, Chief Strategy Officer at ThinkOn.“ At ThinkOn, we prioritize vendor-channel integrity and through our longstanding partnership with VMware, we are uniquely positioned to support organizations in modernizing their infrastructure, fostering innovation, and enhancing business resilience through managed VMware Cloud Foundation services. Now through the Broadcom Advantage program, we empower partners to thrive within Broadcom’s vision and are excited to continue this path of success together.”

“TIM Cloud Flex, built on the new VMware Cloud Foundation, will provide a managed private and hybrid cloud experience so customers can focus on delivering their business priorities rather than running IT operations,” said Elio Schiavo, Chief Enterprise and Innovative Solutions Officer at TIM. “Our common goal is to accelerate the digital transformation of enterprises by offering the best solutions for private and hybrid cloud with greater choice and flexibility in order to address the most complex market challenges and achieve key business objectives.”

“Being named a Broadcom Pinnacle Partner is an extension of 11:11 Systems’ decades-long, global partnership that includes winning numerous VMware awards as well as serving on technical advisory boards and working closely in many capacities to support our analyst and industry-proven IaaS, DRaaS and BaaS solutions,” said Dante Orsini, Chief Strategy Officer, 11:11 Systems. “Our deep, longstanding knowledge of VMware environments and our global, VMware-based, centralized platform means that we are extraordinarily positioned to truly benefit anyone looking to modernize, protect and manage their VMware workloads in the cloud.”

About Ahmar Mohammad:

Ahmar Mohammad is Vice President for Partners and Advanced Solutions Sales at Broadcom, leading strategic partnerships to drive growth, innovation, and market leadership with the partner ecosystem, across Cloud Service Providers, OEMs, Hyperscalers, and Technology Alliances. Prior to this role, Ahmar led the Global Transformation Office at VMware, where he orchestrated the company’s evolution from a software-centric model to a cloud and subscription-focused organization. His responsibilities encompassed the development and execution of various initiatives, including standardized go-to-market plays, multi-cloud offerings, and subscription conversion programs. Under his leadership, VMware witnessed significant strides in transforming to the subscription licensing model, aligning business strategies with market trends and customer needs. In past roles at VMware, Ahmar has been responsible for VMware Cloud on AWS, AWS Sales Synergy, and Cloud Economics business development. His efforts were instrumental in accelerating cloud sales motions, fostering strategic partnerships, and delivering compelling value propositions to customers. Bringing over 24 years of cloud industry experience, Ahmar has led several business development, sales, and marketing teams at Amazon Web Services and Microsoft, prior to joining VMware. A graduate of the University of Illinois, Ahmar holds majors in Information Systems and Decision Sciences.