Better Partnerships through a Philosophy of Value Acceleration

2020 has brought incredible challenges to our economies and customers alike. Having led partner innovation for a little more than a decade, I see how our TIBCO partners have gone above and beyond despite market conditions. What makes the difference between a good partner and a great partner? The definition applies both ways – for software vendors like us, we need to bring a clear vision to our partners and what we expect to spark from our collaboration. 

 The way partners and alliances work today has evolved since I first started. David Yovanno, Forbes Council member, pointed out that, "The modern-day partnership is really an umbrella under which lives a wide variety of third parties." This is especially true as we work with an ever-growing and diversified partner ecosystem. Partners can come in through different channels – through acquisitions or connections and can be consultants, systems integrators, or OEM partners. Partners are essential for us to reach out to new markets, serving as an extension of our business and representing our customers' voice. Our partners bring a rich understanding of their markets and nuances; they own the customers' relationship. They can be the best sounding boards to bring about new insights into existing business problems. 

 Bringing Partners through Value Acceleration

 Gartner shared a piece on categorizing allies into archetypes. The quadrant shows how different archetypes fare against being strategic and innovative. A business partner with excellent long and short-term business planning or a service provider who can provide a defined set of skills but little strategic planning. What we envision for our elite group of TIBCO partners is for them to become trusted allies. This archetype shares the responsibilities, risks, and rewards of growing the business with the enterprise. 

There are four reasons why partners choose to join TIBCO's Partner Program. 

 Market opportunity 84% of Fortune's Global 2000 looks to TIBCO as their trusted partner. Grow your business selling the best technology into the hottest, most lucrative industries

 Product line Our products fulfill crucial needs. We continually expand solutions and develop new product launches catered to real customer demands. 

 Industry leadership Time and again, we are recognized as leaders by Forrester, Gartner, and others and trusted by our customers, validated through user reviews and customer success stories.

 Partner program We've designed the program with partnership categories, levels, criteria, and benefits tailored to meet each partner's business objectives. We've designed it for success. Every year, more organizations join the ranks of our great partner champions across the globe. And we continue to leverage their experiences and learnings through our partnerships to create an even more robust partner ecosystem. 

 Another way for us to bring value to our partners is to focus on enablement. Besides the staple MDFs, certification, and marketing programs for our diverse group of partners, we want to invest in them over time to become a trusted ally for us. Enablement can happen in many ways; one example is to accommodate different business models, or in other words, a bespoke approach to how we can work together. This approach empowers partners to drive discussions around what they need and what they can bring to the table. The mark of the right partner is one who invests expertise, shares knowledge, and is 100% committed to accelerating value for our customers.  

 Real Value Lies in Solving Our Customers' Business Problems

More partners are open to working with each other today than we used to. Collaboration between vendors and partners, sometimes between three or more parties, is commonplace today. This multi-party partnership approach unlocks potential for more significant innovation – bringing about solutions that may not be achievable with a single vendor. 

 It is about solving business problems that matter to our customers. Some of our partners demonstrate this expertly. Ascention, with their flagship solution, Citizen360?, driven by TIBCO technologies and focusing on "enabling the value of citizen data for the betterment of government services." iSteer, our North America Partner of the Year, driving future-proof and sustainable solutions to verticals like healthcare, food and beverage and manufacturing. Systemation, our consulting champion based in the Netherlands, with their unique combination of vertical expertise and in-depth technical knowledge, driving digital transformation in notable enterprises. 

 As we work together to evolve our partnerships, I believe our value acceleration philosophy will guide us toward faster results and excellent customer outcomes.