Veeam® Software, the Modern Data Protection organisation, has enhanced its ProPartner Network strategy with the launch of the Veeam Competency Program for Veeam Value-Added Resellers (VVARs) and Veeam Cloud & Service Provider (VCSP) partners.
What is the Veeam Competency Program?
The program provides dedicated expertise and resources to support clients and partners using the recently launched Veeam Data Platform, a single platform delivering more advanced data security, recovery and hybrid cloud capabilities with Veeam Backup & Replication™ (VBR) v12 as the foundation. Program alumni will be recognised with Veeam credentials for their technical and go-to-market offerings that help differentiate their portfolio in the market.
Modern Data Protection requires a customised approach to support business continuity. This is especially true with the combination of rising data complexity and risks posed by cyber-threats. The Veeam Data Protection Trends Report 2023 found that 55% of firms are focused on improving reliability and success of backups to meet their internal Recovery Point objective (RPO), Recovery Time Objective (RTO) and Service Level Agreement (SLA) needs.
Firms are often lacking the necessary in-house skills and resources to optimise their existing IT strategy. An ecosystem of certified partners fills that gap, and the Veeam Competency Program connects the right skills for the specific demands of both clients and fellow partners.
What is the mission behind Veeam’s program?
The Veeam Competency Program initiative aims to build “ProPartner Competency” through a high-value partner network. It is also designed in a simple but robust way: eligible Veeam Value-Added Resellers and Veeam Cloud & Service Provider partners that have developed first-class solutions can apply to have their use case specific offering audited by Veeam.
Additionally, every go-to-market and technical competency achieved will be rewarded with a verified Veeam badge. This new data protection proficiency level will be highlighted by a premium placement on the Veeam ProPartner Directory on Veeam.com, a partner list facilitating the process for customers looking for a suitable IT business partner.
VVAR competency categories include:
- Ransomware and Disaster Recovery Competencies: Enable partners to help organizations implement transparent and actionable Backup as a Service and Disaster Recovery as a Service strategies for detecting suspicious activities, protecting data with immutable backup options, and rapidly recovering backup data.
- Public Cloud Protection Competency: Nurtures a strong understanding of the cloud-native backup solutions market and customer challenges. A qualified VVAR is able to represent the public cloud Backup as a Service capability supported by all Veeam cloud-native backup solutions and deploy the adequate solution for the customer.
- Microsoft 365 Protection Competency: Understands that Microsoft’s responsibility ends at application uptime, leaving the customer responsible for data loss avoidance. The trained VVAR supports the customer to protect against the risk of losing access and control over their most critical processes with Veeam Backup for Microsoft 365.
- Container Protection Competency: Warrants that a VVAR can implement the protection and mobility of customers’ containerized workloads and help future-proof their customers’ cloud-native strategy through knowledge development supported by Kasten by Veeam.
VCSP Customer Ready competencies recognize partners that provide Veeam-powered “as a service” solutions to clients. VCSP Reseller Ready competencies connect service providers with VVAR partners looking to resell cloud services. VCSP competency categories include:
- Off-site Backup
- Disaster Recovery as a Service
- Backup as a Service (BaaS) for Microsoft 365
- Managed Service Provider (MSP) Backup (Reseller Ready only)
New VCSP competencies, available for Customer Ready and Reseller Ready partners:
- Backup as a Service (BaaS) for Amazon Web Services (AWS)
- Backup as a Service (BaaS) for Microsoft Azure
The Veeam ProPartner Network is an ecosystem of partners that work with one another to build, market, and sell Veeam’s on-premises, off-site, and cloud consumption models.
What does the program mean for Veeam?
“Our success is built upon working closely with our partners to provide customers with the best protection and recovery for their data. We bring unsurpassed innovation and combine that with the expertise of our partners to offer customers a perfectly matched solution for their needs,” said Larissa Crandall, Vice President of Global Channel and Alliances at Veeam.
“Veeam is committed to ensuring our partners have access to the most valuable resources and training to deliver first-rate outcomes for clients. That’s why the program enhancements have been designed in collaboration with our partners to expand their capabilities in a way that enables them to tap into the potential of the total addressable market,” Crandall said.
VVAR and VCSP partners have access to customized programs, tools and resources that are designed to enable them to become more profitable and drive growth according to their business models and objectives. For global partners interested in learning more or signing up for the Veeam Competency Program, please visit the Veeam ProPartner portal.
The Veeam Competency Program will be exclusively featured during VeeamON 2023, the community event for data recovery experts, which will take place May 22 – 24 in Miami, FL and online. Designed by and built for the backup and recovery professional, attendees will expand their skills, celebrate with the community, and share expertise with content from AWS, Hewlett Packard Enterprise and more. Registration for the in-person event is open.
What are the partners’ thoughts on the program?
“While 85% of channel partners believe partner programs play an important role in their relationship with a vendor, programs are under pressure to recognize partner value in new ways. Hybrid partner models and the growth of managed services mean co-sell, ease of doing business, and technology support are more important than ever when it comes to partner program effectiveness,” commented Robin Ody, Senior Analyst at Canalys.
“The challenge for vendors is partly in recognizing the breadth of the partner landscape while also rewarding partners across these different models, who engage with the tech in different ways. A good program, with the right collaborative philosophy at its heart, can be a real differentiator for vendors at any time, but particularly during a time of economic uncertainty.”
“Probax provides modern data protection solutions and services exclusively for managed service providers (MSPs). We combine partner enablement and support with continuous innovation and integration among industry-leading technology vendors, including Veeam and Microsoft,” commented Sam Meegahage, COO at Probax and Platinum Veeam VCSP Partner.
“Veeam’s Competency Program validates our offering, and we’re proud to include this additional proof point to our current and future customers, making Probax a gold standard.”
“Being a 100%-channel company, these Veeam-verified competencies help us to leverage our turn-key as a Service portfolio for DraaS, Off-site Backup, Managed Backup Services or BaaS for Microsoft 365 for MSP prospects. More and more MSPs are opting for our BaaS for Microsoft 365 offering which contributes to our revenue growing 5% month over month.”
For more information, please visit the website.
