Software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions have ascended rapidly, never more so than in the last year and a half when much of the world adopted a remote model of working. Companies migrating to a SaaS model are yielding a range of benefits, including rapid deployment, reduced support requirements, improved flexibility, and lower costs, and BMC and our partners are making this journey together. We’ve made SaaS subscriptions part of our partner program, beginning with the BMC Helix family of products.
The subscription model is the way forward for technology, and at BMC, our channel partners are integral to that success. A recent Forbes Tech Council article explains that, “in channel partnerships, the sales and distribution channel is the enabler for the model to work. These partners own the customer relationships; they have the intimate knowledge of their clients; and they can add tremendous value through their services and know-how.”
When migrating to SaaS solutions, our customers are navigating significant process changes and learning new technical skills—and the same holds true for our partners. “The customer transition to a subscription model has accelerated into overdrive in the last four years…[moving from], ‘why should we move to subscription’ to ‘tell me why we shouldn’t.’ For the channel, this creates a number of issues, not [the] least [of which is] revenue recognition rules, cashflow, and a different type of services engagement with the client,” says John Mohan, CEO of BMC partner Global Fusion.
Having a strong partner program like the award-winning BMC Partner Advantage Program is essential. In addition to financially rewarding partners who make the move to a subscription model with a rich rebate program that maximizes the margin on SaaS transactions, it also helps them upskill their personnel to meet the needs of customers and build stronger relationships with them. With the full power of BMC behind them, our partners are agile enough to meet sudden changes and able to customize solutions for specific customer requirements.
The FY22 Partner Program rewards partners for reselling subscriptions and provides a number of resources:
- PREP 7.0: Partner readiness education packages help minimize the partner’s investment in the technical resources they need to implement SaaS by providing up-front rebates for passed certifications.
- SaaS deal registrations: The registrations reward partners twice—first with an incremental, additional discount to their partner discount and then, upon closing, with a rebate so they can maximize their margin on the transaction.
- New logo (customer) rewards: Partners can receive extra rebates for bringing new logo customers (who have no spend rate in the business unit during the previous 24 months, including with the parent company) to BMC.
- Year-over-year growth bonus: Top-tier partners are awarded a bonus at the end of the year for growing their SaaS business.
- Business Investment Fund (BIF): The BIF provides partners with access to funds to help accelerate their business growth through demo environments, service assurance packs, and education (LPCs) to increase the sales of BMC subscriptions and services to new and existing customers.
Don’t just take our word for it. Our partners agree with the strength of SaaS and the BMC partner program. “BMC has a subscriptions-first based approach to accelerated growth and customer satisfaction [with] recognition given to the channel by BMC, which makes this happen quicker and more efficiently,” explains Global Fusion’s Mohan.
“Incremental channel discount plans and flexible payment schemes all help to facilitate the transition across the great on-premises to subscription divide. In addition, net new subscription sales (the Holy Grail as we say) are rewarded with additional incentives and ease of doing business. This open ecosystem created by BMC and the channel working in harmony is key to customer, channel, and BMC success.”
Learn more about the flexibility and choice of the BMC Partner Program to help you align your business model to meet your customers’ strategic needs at bmc.com/partners.
