Nutanix has announced an expansion of its Elevate Partner Program for FY27 that will see systems integrators added into the initiative for the first time.
The hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) provider said the move marks its largest investment in the initiative to date and will include a host of new tools and resources designed to generate new revenue opportunities for partners.
Fresh additions include incentives for referrals, renewals, and customer expansion, alongside greater support for partner-led services.
"A partner can spend months helping a customer work out what technology they need, plan a migration or prepare for AI, but they don't always get paid for the work that goes into making a sale happen," said Sven Schoenaerts, Nutanix’s head of channels for EMEA. "We want to change that.”
Expanded partner support
By expanding Elevate to include systems integrators, Nutanix said it is recognizing their increasingly important role in shaping IT strategy, from designing and integrating solutions to managing migrations and service delivery.
Those eligible for the program will be able to earn referral rewards for identifying and developing opportunities around Nutanix’s offerings – regardless of whether they are the partner responsible for closing a sale.
The initiative also aims to better support partners looking to grow their business around emerging customer requirements such as enterprise AI, cloud-native applications, and databases.
New incentives have been designed to encourage opportunities through Nutanix Enterprise AI, Nutanix Database Service (NDB), Nutanix Kubernetes Platform (NKP), alongside their accompanying services.
Elsewhere, the vendor is also expanding its investment in AI-powered tools to further strengthen partner support and engagement.
Deal Coach, which is due to be released via Nutanix Partner Central later this year, will provide assistance around sales-cycle activities, while further planned capabilities include providing partners with visibility into selected customer environment health, adoption, and lifecycle signals, subject to customer authorization.
Seven areas of opportunity
Nutanix said its new-look channel program spans seven key areas of opportunity for eligible partners, covering new customer acquisition, account expansion, and business growth.
Rebates can be earned for qualifying new Nutanix sales and for introducing further solutions into customer environments – including enterprise AI, cloud technologies, and databases.
Other incentives place a focus on year-over-year business growth, on-time renewals, as well as referrals, with rewards on offer to eligible partner sales and technical staff that identify or secure new business or expansion opportunities.
The seventh area focuses on differentiation and aims to help partners build verified services capabilities through Nutanix: Powered by Services.
Partners can leverage a host of service delivery resources, such as standardized kits and opportunities to shadow Nutanix experts, alongside earned business development funds for qualifying go-to-market activities.
“Partners should be able to earn money for bringing us new business, helping existing customers do more with Nutanix and providing the services those customers need,” Schoenaerts added.
“That's especially important for systems integrators and consultants, who often do much of the work before a customer is ready to buy."
Nutanix said Elevate’s incentives, referral rewards, and business development funding are subject to applicable program requirements, eligibility criteria, and regional availability.