DAVID SWANSON | RIVERBED
The Role of Channel Partners in a LAER Strategy
• Riverbed Technology Business Summary
– Founded in 2002, Riverbed Technology is a provider of application performance
infrastructure offering a platform to deliver, control and optimize IT resources across
the hybrid enterprise.
• Riverbed’s application acceleration solutions include SteelHead, a WAN optimization
solution, SteelConnect, a Software Defined (SD-WAN) solution, and SteelFusion, which
provides branch converged infrastructure.
• Riverbed’s performance management suite, SteelCentral, combines application-aware
network performance management and application performance management control.
– Headquartered in San Francisco, CA, with more than 2,500 employees in 73 offices
around the world.
– 25,000+ customers include 97% of both the Fortune 100 and the Forbes Global 100.
Riverbed Technology - The Application Performance Company
• Riverbed Professional Services – Worldwide Services to help businesses:
• Accelerate time to value by leveraging Riverbed product experts and proven methodologies
• Develop in-house proficiency and expand skillsets through comprehensive, hands-on knowledge
transfer
• Achieve better adoption and utilization of Riverbed solutions to improve performance quickly and
reliably
• Riverbed Professional Services – Service Examples:
• Proactive assessments of Riverbed infrastructure with recommendations for improving
performance
• Rapid response performance troubleshooting for in-production applications
• End-to-end application and network performance monitoring, reporting, and alerting
• Implementation services that focus on best practice design, setup, configuration, and knowledge
transfer
Riverbed Professional Services
LAER Review
4
Land: The activities required to sell and implement a new offer or
solution to a customer
Adopt: The activities required to ensure the customer is adopting the
implemented solution
Expand: The activities required to ensure the customers expand their
usage of solutions resulting in additional budget and purchases
Renew: The activities required to ensure customers continue to stay in
good standing and renew their vendor relationship
Land Adopt Expand Renew
LAER Review
5
While many of the concepts associated with LAER
are related to Professional Services, success
requires a strategic corporate direction that
addresses the customer journey lifecycle.
Sales
Professional
Services
Marketing
Channel
Product
Operations
Agenda
6
• What is Riverbed doing to address LAER?
• Where do Channel Partners fit in the equation?
– Types of Partners
– Why use Partners?
• How does Riverbed Professional Services work with Channel
Partners?
• How does Services and the Channel come together and address
LAER?
How is Riverbed Addressing LAER?
Historical Process – Incomplete LAER Focus
7
SellProduct
Riverbed Led
Sales Efforts
Partners
Primarily
Transact the
Opportunity
ImplementwithPS
No defined
Partner Rules
of Engagement
Sales,
Partners, Client
or Riverbed PS
Implement
SupportProduct
Customers call
when there is
an issue
Some partners
provide support
or managed
service
Renew
Renewal teams
address
support
renewal
How is Riverbed Addressing LAER?
The Four Corporate Transitions
Managing
Accounts
Selling
SolutionsGOALS KPIs
People
Repeatable
Revenue
Leverage
The Power
of the
Channel
How is Riverbed Addressing LAER? 4 Transitions
9
Channel
Leverage
Repeatable
Revenue
Managing
Accounts
Selling
Solutions
• Account Planning
• Account Plan Reviews
• Executive Briefings
• PS Led Sales
• Managed Services
• Embedded Services
• Multi-product sales
• Multi Product Deal%
• Strategic Product
Participation rate
• Next quarter funnel
• Role Specific
Solution Expertise
• Sales play & solution certifications
• Account Penetration
• SP Design Wins
• Customer Reference
Base
• PS Attach Rate
• Reference Customer
Coverage
• Focus Partner
Growth
• FP Booking Growth
• Joint Engagement
• Qualified Joint
Engagement Bookings
 Riverbed relevance
in the Channel
– Business Plan Reviews
 Develop Channel
Led Segments
– Dedicated HC
Where do Channel Partners fit into LAER
Why Leverage Partners?
11
Scale
Why Leverage Partners?
12
• Partners tend to be closer to the clients business needs than IT
vendors
– Increase how well your technology is being used by the customer
– Make it easier to do business with services pertaining to your products
– Partners can focus more on business outcomes across technologies
• Partner Packaging: LAER ties into how vendors need to adapt to
how customers are changing their buying habits. Clients no longer
want to buy product, support, PS, training, etc. They want to buy an
outcome that contains all of these
• If partners are engaged from the beginning of an opportunity, they’ll
be more likely to feel invested
All Partners Are Not Created Equally
13
• Service Only (Outsource)
• Partner Types (Regional, National and Global)
– Distribution
– Value Added Resellers (VARs)
– Service Providers (SPs)
– Systems Integrators (SIs)
• Partner Business Models
– Resell
– Services
• Verticals
• Cloud
How does Riverbed Enable LAER with
Partner Services
Enabling LAER with Partner Services
1. Create and Support Partner Service Programs & Incentives
2. Define and Communicate Rules of Engagement
3. Define and Execute Role Based Enablement
4. Integrate Strategies with Riverbed Sales and Services
Departments
15
Partner Service Programs and Incentives:
Building Partner Relevance
16
Managed
Services & aaS
Repeatable, Scalable,
Pre-Defined
Consumption Pricing
Additional Rebates &
Business Investment
Fund
Enablment IP &
Strategies
Embedded
Solutions
Integrate Product into
Partners Value add
Solutions
Consumption Pricing
Additional Rebates &
Business Investment
Fund
Enablement IP &
Strategies
Joint
Engagement
Client Specific Joint
Sales and Service
Planning
Client Opportunity
Specific Discounts
Riverbed
Consulting
Partner
Consistent Riverbed
Service Delivery
Enable Partners to Build
Riverbed Services
Provided Riverbed’s PS
IP to Partners
Scale Ability to Address
all Client Segments
Riverbed Performance Partner Program
• Sales Sheets
• Brochures
• Service
Description
Documents
• Pricing
Calculators
• Reference
Architectures
Training and
Enablement
Activities
Riverbed PS SME
Access
Sales Collateral Delivery Collateral Tools & Systems
Riverbed Consulting Partner (RCP) Program
Components: Value Add Elements
• Templates:
• As-Built
• Engagement
Summary
• Project Plan
• Engagement
Checklists
• Standard
Operating
Procedures
• Operational
Best Practices
• Optimization
• Document
Builder
• Riverbed PS
Help Desk
• Access
• Urgent:
Dedicated
Phone #
• Non-Urgent:
PS SME DL
• Forums
• Training
• On-Demand
• Classroom
• Recorded
• Engagement
Shadowing
• Certification
Rules of Engagement For PS Sales and Delivery Activity for Riverbed Partners
Riverbed PS Rules of Engagement
Distribution
Elects
Riverbed
Elects
Partner
Elects
Capable
Partner?
Named
Riverbed
Account
Distribution
Capable
1
3
2
Riverbed Ready to
Support
Can Riverbed support it?
• Alignment between RVBD
Services & Channel teams
• Services program strategy,
inclusive of consulting,
support & education is clearly
communicated & operational
as part of the Partner Program
• Channel personnel address
services as strategic business
development activity
Partner Relevance
Are Riverbed services relevant
to the partner?
•INCREMENTAL REVENUES
Complete lifecycle strategy
for RVBD services portfolio
(consulting, support,
education, MS)
•IMPROVED MARGINS
Emphasis on improving
profitability through
enablement IP & Programs
Partner Capable
Is the partner capable? In
what areas?
• Clearly communicated and
understood services
business model to Riverbed
• Clarity and segmentation of
partners as portfolio players
versus boutique role players
Qualify Partners: Focus on those that can
deliver services for your solutions
Professional Services Sales and Delivery Ownership Targets
Partner Profiles and Service Programs
Partner
Riverbed
Disti GlobalMSP
ManagedServices
RVBDPartnerConsultingProgram
Support
Embedded
PartnerPS
Training
Riverbed
Lifecycle
Services
Disti&TSM/E
Focus&CSM/ESE
ValueAddedDistribution
Tier2MSPs
RegionalSI&Vars
FocusPartners
GlobalMSP&SISO
RiverbedasaService
Scaling
• Riverbed cannot scale to address LAER with thousands of global
customers
• Professional Services Job is to Enable Scale
– Riverbed can realistically focus on 100 partners and distributors and
those partners can then scale to the global customer footprint
– Professional Services creates
• Riverbed based product and service solutions
• Education Options
• Certification Tracks
– Riverbed PS supports the service programs in addition to focusing on
strategic Riverbed clients
21
2015
Q3
Implementation (SC APM, SC NPM)
Implementation (SF, SH)
Performance Troubleshooting (SC APM, SC NPM)
Network Infrastructure Operational Assessment (SC NPCM)
Network Performance Assessment (SC NPM)
Application Deployment Readiness (SC APM, NPM)
Application Performance Assessment (SC APM, SC NPM)
Assurance Service (SF, SC APM, SC NPM)
Network Infrastructure Deployment Assessment (SC NPCM)
Operational Adoption Workshops
Storage array integration
PS Package Availability:
Enable Partners Business
Planning Subscription Based Services (Assessment,
Troubleshooting)
Implementation Bundle: Impl., Assurance, Training
• Sales
– Decreased Sales Bookings: Uplift for Sales Reps
– Reduced Sales Quotas
• Services
– Reducing the number of PS Clients: Strategic focus on client
segments
– Riverbed getting out of the PS Business: Lifecycle strategy for
strategic clients
Address Internal FUD with Partner Services
Contact Information
David Swanson
Director, Global Channel Professional Services
david.swanson@riverbed.com
(913)461-3283
SEARCH FOR “TSW APP”
OR DOWNLOAD AT
www.technologyservicesworld.com/app
Provide instant speaker and session
feedback. Select the session from the
agenda to access the quick survey.
Use this as “buffer slide”
in between topics
Consistency – Cadence - Discipline
2016 Channel Strategy supporting the 4
Transitions
Joint Riverbed & Partner
Engagement
• Account Planning
• Territory Planning
• Business Plan
• Managed Services
• Embedded Solutions
& Services
• Packaged Services
• Internal & External
Systems, Tools &
Enablement
• Partner Rewards
Managing
Accounts
w/Partner
Embedded
Solutions &
Services
Repeatable
Revenue – C
Space
Leverage the
Power of the
Channel -
Riverbed
Channel Ready
Strategy
Goals
• Partner Services
Economy
• Drive Demand,
Deliver Services &
Build Customer
• Focus on strategic
Partners
Service Enablement / Consulting Partners
Copyright 2014 Riverbed Inc. Confidential.
30
Service Delivery Kits
SalesDelivery
Sales
Brochure
Sales
Proposal
Sales Training
Guide
Sales
Sheet
Site Survey
Checklist
Project Plan Delivery
Run-Book
Deliverable
Report

TSWLV2016 - David Swanson

  • 1.
    DAVID SWANSON |RIVERBED The Role of Channel Partners in a LAER Strategy
  • 2.
    • Riverbed TechnologyBusiness Summary – Founded in 2002, Riverbed Technology is a provider of application performance infrastructure offering a platform to deliver, control and optimize IT resources across the hybrid enterprise. • Riverbed’s application acceleration solutions include SteelHead, a WAN optimization solution, SteelConnect, a Software Defined (SD-WAN) solution, and SteelFusion, which provides branch converged infrastructure. • Riverbed’s performance management suite, SteelCentral, combines application-aware network performance management and application performance management control. – Headquartered in San Francisco, CA, with more than 2,500 employees in 73 offices around the world. – 25,000+ customers include 97% of both the Fortune 100 and the Forbes Global 100. Riverbed Technology - The Application Performance Company
  • 3.
    • Riverbed ProfessionalServices – Worldwide Services to help businesses: • Accelerate time to value by leveraging Riverbed product experts and proven methodologies • Develop in-house proficiency and expand skillsets through comprehensive, hands-on knowledge transfer • Achieve better adoption and utilization of Riverbed solutions to improve performance quickly and reliably • Riverbed Professional Services – Service Examples: • Proactive assessments of Riverbed infrastructure with recommendations for improving performance • Rapid response performance troubleshooting for in-production applications • End-to-end application and network performance monitoring, reporting, and alerting • Implementation services that focus on best practice design, setup, configuration, and knowledge transfer Riverbed Professional Services
  • 4.
    LAER Review 4 Land: Theactivities required to sell and implement a new offer or solution to a customer Adopt: The activities required to ensure the customer is adopting the implemented solution Expand: The activities required to ensure the customers expand their usage of solutions resulting in additional budget and purchases Renew: The activities required to ensure customers continue to stay in good standing and renew their vendor relationship Land Adopt Expand Renew
  • 5.
    LAER Review 5 While manyof the concepts associated with LAER are related to Professional Services, success requires a strategic corporate direction that addresses the customer journey lifecycle. Sales Professional Services Marketing Channel Product Operations
  • 6.
    Agenda 6 • What isRiverbed doing to address LAER? • Where do Channel Partners fit in the equation? – Types of Partners – Why use Partners? • How does Riverbed Professional Services work with Channel Partners? • How does Services and the Channel come together and address LAER?
  • 7.
    How is RiverbedAddressing LAER? Historical Process – Incomplete LAER Focus 7 SellProduct Riverbed Led Sales Efforts Partners Primarily Transact the Opportunity ImplementwithPS No defined Partner Rules of Engagement Sales, Partners, Client or Riverbed PS Implement SupportProduct Customers call when there is an issue Some partners provide support or managed service Renew Renewal teams address support renewal
  • 8.
    How is RiverbedAddressing LAER? The Four Corporate Transitions Managing Accounts Selling SolutionsGOALS KPIs People Repeatable Revenue Leverage The Power of the Channel
  • 9.
    How is RiverbedAddressing LAER? 4 Transitions 9 Channel Leverage Repeatable Revenue Managing Accounts Selling Solutions • Account Planning • Account Plan Reviews • Executive Briefings • PS Led Sales • Managed Services • Embedded Services • Multi-product sales • Multi Product Deal% • Strategic Product Participation rate • Next quarter funnel • Role Specific Solution Expertise • Sales play & solution certifications • Account Penetration • SP Design Wins • Customer Reference Base • PS Attach Rate • Reference Customer Coverage • Focus Partner Growth • FP Booking Growth • Joint Engagement • Qualified Joint Engagement Bookings  Riverbed relevance in the Channel – Business Plan Reviews  Develop Channel Led Segments – Dedicated HC
  • 10.
    Where do ChannelPartners fit into LAER
  • 11.
  • 12.
    Why Leverage Partners? 12 •Partners tend to be closer to the clients business needs than IT vendors – Increase how well your technology is being used by the customer – Make it easier to do business with services pertaining to your products – Partners can focus more on business outcomes across technologies • Partner Packaging: LAER ties into how vendors need to adapt to how customers are changing their buying habits. Clients no longer want to buy product, support, PS, training, etc. They want to buy an outcome that contains all of these • If partners are engaged from the beginning of an opportunity, they’ll be more likely to feel invested
  • 13.
    All Partners AreNot Created Equally 13 • Service Only (Outsource) • Partner Types (Regional, National and Global) – Distribution – Value Added Resellers (VARs) – Service Providers (SPs) – Systems Integrators (SIs) • Partner Business Models – Resell – Services • Verticals • Cloud
  • 14.
    How does RiverbedEnable LAER with Partner Services
  • 15.
    Enabling LAER withPartner Services 1. Create and Support Partner Service Programs & Incentives 2. Define and Communicate Rules of Engagement 3. Define and Execute Role Based Enablement 4. Integrate Strategies with Riverbed Sales and Services Departments 15
  • 16.
    Partner Service Programsand Incentives: Building Partner Relevance 16 Managed Services & aaS Repeatable, Scalable, Pre-Defined Consumption Pricing Additional Rebates & Business Investment Fund Enablment IP & Strategies Embedded Solutions Integrate Product into Partners Value add Solutions Consumption Pricing Additional Rebates & Business Investment Fund Enablement IP & Strategies Joint Engagement Client Specific Joint Sales and Service Planning Client Opportunity Specific Discounts Riverbed Consulting Partner Consistent Riverbed Service Delivery Enable Partners to Build Riverbed Services Provided Riverbed’s PS IP to Partners Scale Ability to Address all Client Segments Riverbed Performance Partner Program
  • 17.
    • Sales Sheets •Brochures • Service Description Documents • Pricing Calculators • Reference Architectures Training and Enablement Activities Riverbed PS SME Access Sales Collateral Delivery Collateral Tools & Systems Riverbed Consulting Partner (RCP) Program Components: Value Add Elements • Templates: • As-Built • Engagement Summary • Project Plan • Engagement Checklists • Standard Operating Procedures • Operational Best Practices • Optimization • Document Builder • Riverbed PS Help Desk • Access • Urgent: Dedicated Phone # • Non-Urgent: PS SME DL • Forums • Training • On-Demand • Classroom • Recorded • Engagement Shadowing • Certification
  • 18.
    Rules of EngagementFor PS Sales and Delivery Activity for Riverbed Partners Riverbed PS Rules of Engagement Distribution Elects Riverbed Elects Partner Elects Capable Partner? Named Riverbed Account Distribution Capable 1 3 2
  • 19.
    Riverbed Ready to Support CanRiverbed support it? • Alignment between RVBD Services & Channel teams • Services program strategy, inclusive of consulting, support & education is clearly communicated & operational as part of the Partner Program • Channel personnel address services as strategic business development activity Partner Relevance Are Riverbed services relevant to the partner? •INCREMENTAL REVENUES Complete lifecycle strategy for RVBD services portfolio (consulting, support, education, MS) •IMPROVED MARGINS Emphasis on improving profitability through enablement IP & Programs Partner Capable Is the partner capable? In what areas? • Clearly communicated and understood services business model to Riverbed • Clarity and segmentation of partners as portfolio players versus boutique role players Qualify Partners: Focus on those that can deliver services for your solutions
  • 20.
    Professional Services Salesand Delivery Ownership Targets Partner Profiles and Service Programs Partner Riverbed Disti GlobalMSP ManagedServices RVBDPartnerConsultingProgram Support Embedded PartnerPS Training Riverbed Lifecycle Services Disti&TSM/E Focus&CSM/ESE ValueAddedDistribution Tier2MSPs RegionalSI&Vars FocusPartners GlobalMSP&SISO RiverbedasaService
  • 21.
    Scaling • Riverbed cannotscale to address LAER with thousands of global customers • Professional Services Job is to Enable Scale – Riverbed can realistically focus on 100 partners and distributors and those partners can then scale to the global customer footprint – Professional Services creates • Riverbed based product and service solutions • Education Options • Certification Tracks – Riverbed PS supports the service programs in addition to focusing on strategic Riverbed clients 21
  • 22.
    2015 Q3 Implementation (SC APM,SC NPM) Implementation (SF, SH) Performance Troubleshooting (SC APM, SC NPM) Network Infrastructure Operational Assessment (SC NPCM) Network Performance Assessment (SC NPM) Application Deployment Readiness (SC APM, NPM) Application Performance Assessment (SC APM, SC NPM) Assurance Service (SF, SC APM, SC NPM) Network Infrastructure Deployment Assessment (SC NPCM) Operational Adoption Workshops Storage array integration PS Package Availability: Enable Partners Business Planning Subscription Based Services (Assessment, Troubleshooting) Implementation Bundle: Impl., Assurance, Training
  • 23.
    • Sales – DecreasedSales Bookings: Uplift for Sales Reps – Reduced Sales Quotas • Services – Reducing the number of PS Clients: Strategic focus on client segments – Riverbed getting out of the PS Business: Lifecycle strategy for strategic clients Address Internal FUD with Partner Services
  • 25.
    Contact Information David Swanson Director,Global Channel Professional Services david.swanson@riverbed.com (913)461-3283
  • 26.
    SEARCH FOR “TSWAPP” OR DOWNLOAD AT www.technologyservicesworld.com/app Provide instant speaker and session feedback. Select the session from the agenda to access the quick survey.
  • 28.
    Use this as“buffer slide” in between topics
  • 29.
    Consistency – Cadence- Discipline 2016 Channel Strategy supporting the 4 Transitions Joint Riverbed & Partner Engagement • Account Planning • Territory Planning • Business Plan • Managed Services • Embedded Solutions & Services • Packaged Services • Internal & External Systems, Tools & Enablement • Partner Rewards Managing Accounts w/Partner Embedded Solutions & Services Repeatable Revenue – C Space Leverage the Power of the Channel - Riverbed Channel Ready Strategy Goals • Partner Services Economy • Drive Demand, Deliver Services & Build Customer • Focus on strategic Partners Service Enablement / Consulting Partners
  • 30.
    Copyright 2014 RiverbedInc. Confidential. 30 Service Delivery Kits SalesDelivery Sales Brochure Sales Proposal Sales Training Guide Sales Sheet Site Survey Checklist Project Plan Delivery Run-Book Deliverable Report

Editor's Notes

  • #2 There are quite a few different aspects that can be addressed with a LAER strategy. In this discussion, I’m going to focus not so much on the individual LAER steps, but what programs and strategies Riverbed is rolling out to encourage our partners to achieve LAER results.
  • #17 Channel Programs Managed Service Program Embedded Services Program Joint Engagement Program Riverbed Consulting Partner Program (RCP)
  • #19 Riverbed PS Rules of Engagement: To ensure Partners are able to predict their PS business opportunity, the following rules of engagement have been established to communicate which opportunities partners should own the PS sales and delivery activities for: If the partner is capable of addressing the PS sales and delivery needs for an opportunity they are associated with, Riverbed’s preference is the partner will elect the service strategy and own the sales and delivery activities.  Benefits of this include: Riverbed becomes more relevant to partners by establishing service lines of business that partners can grow their Riverbed related revenue and margins Partners are typically more familiar with the clients and therefore know their client’s business better than Riverbed.  This familiarity allows them to better ensure Riverbed ROI is maximized in the client’s environment It allows Riverbed to focus their PS sales and delivery resources on a focused client segment, making Riverbed services that much more strategic to the clients they touch Partners will end up with additional Riverbed expertise (in pre and post-sales roles) to recognize where Riverbed solutions can address their client’s needs If the partner is not capable of delivering the services, and the client is a Riverbed named account, Riverbed will elect the service strategy and own the sales and delivery activities. Riverbed may elect to leverage the partner to deliver part of the engagement, subcontract or leverage the distribution partner to address the lifecycle service needs. This allows Riverbed to focus on strategic named clients as well as services that partners have not been enabled to deliver yet (pre-chasm Riverbed products, new Riverbed service solutions, etc.) If the partner is not capable and the client is a non-named (C space) client, Riverbed’s preference is for distribution to own the service sales and delivery activities Riverbed has been working with and enabling distribution partners to sell, deliver and market Riverbed PS to their partners Distribution provides a non-competitive PS option for partners to leverage in their opportunities Distribution partners are investing heavily in service capabilities across many of their vendors If the partner and distribution are not capable of delivering the PS engagement, Riverbed will own the service sales and delivery strategy. Corner Cases: In cases where Riverbed must own the PS activities (client mandates, contractual obligations, specific clearance requirements, etc.), yet the aforementioned rules of engagement indicate otherwise, Riverbed will elect the PS strategy and will do so without discounting beyond standard partner level discounts (10%)
  • #20 Who are the right partners and what does Riverbed need to do to support them? They should be interested in growing service revenue either directly or indirectly through offering Riverbed services and have the internal infrastructure that can do it. For Riverbed’s partner, we have to move beyond talking about it and start making the right investments in enabling it.