Monday Morning Impact – December 4

Accenture and Pivotal Software Launch New Partnership to Speed Cloud Migration

Accenture and Pivotal Software, Inc. have formed a new business group to help Fortune Global 500 companies and other large enterprises to migrate legacy applications to the cloud and accelerate cloud-native application development.
Operated and managed by Accenture in conjunction with Pivotal’s software development methodology, the Accenture Pivotal Business Group (APBG) will offer clients new capabilities for developing modern cloud-native products and services that leverage artificial intelligence and other innovative technologies in areas such as the Internet of Things and connected cars.

The partners intend to launch two APBG locations; one in Columbus, Ohio, and another in New York City. The joint facilities will be dedicated spaces where APBG will help large enterprises rapidly migrate their businesses onto the Pivotal Cloud Foundry, Pivotal’s cloud-native platform for products and services.

“By combining our cloud services expertise with Pivotal’s software development methodology and platform, the Accenture Pivotal Business Group will help clients accelerate the pace of new innovations and fast-track their digital transformation,” said Paul Daugherty, Accenture’s chief technology & innovation officer. “Together we will help clients adopt cloud-native technology, build software at scale, and use an iterative, high-speed model, enabling them to be more agile, disruptive and competitive.”

The group has already begun work with companies in the banking and insurance sectors.

Channel Impact^®
While IT teams are tasked with building customer-facing products and services that can evolve with changing buyer preferences, many enterprises still face challenges operating their business on modern cloud technologies, thereby reducing speed-to-market. The APBG is expected to mitigate this problem by bringing together the skills, capabilities, and experience needed to help clients redesign and modernize their legacy IT applications and infrastructures.

AT&T Alliance Channel Adds Options for Solution Providers

AT&T is launching major enhancements to the company’s alliance channel program, providing new compensation options, support, and access to AT&T accounts.

“With these enhancements, we are transforming the AT&T Alliance Channel,” said Zee Hussain, division president of AT&T Partner Solutions. “This will help both existing and new solution providers address their customers’ business challenges with our breadth of services,”

Enhancements include residual payments on wireline solutions, in addition to up-front payments; compensation on eligible mobile device upgrades; deal registration; improved back-end support for both pre- and post-sale activities; and a simplified partner contract.

AT&T now has three distinct channel programs, intended to address the full range of business models used by agents and solution providers.

Channel Impact^®
The upgrades are likely to help support partner agility, thereby creating more opportunities for sales and growth. Agents and integrators are often looking for such programs as a means of demonstrating service provider commitments to an indirect sales strategy.

Ingram Micro Rolls Out “Training-Development-as-a-Service”

Ingram Micro has announced its “Training-Development-as-a-Service” program; a portfolio of integrated training tools designed to help IT vendors address the channel’s need for enhanced e-training and partner enablement.

“Demand for more advanced and readily available e-learning and e-training is rising, but for many vendors, supply is falling short of partners’ needs and expectations for a variety of reasons including bandwidth and budget constraints,” said Greg Richey, director of Ingram Micro Professional and Training Services. “Our new Training-Development-as-a-Service program resolves this challenge by developing and delivering the e-learning, and e-training resources channel partners want on behalf of the IT vendors.”

Available globally, the program is designed to make updated training simpler and more affordable for vendors. Early adopters include HPE and IBM.

Channel Impact^®
Primary benefits include faster time to market and simplified processes for vendors. Channel partners should see an increase in timeliness and effectiveness of vendor training infrastructure.