Partner Trends #010
Your weekly source for news in the world of channel partners, strategic alliances, and partnerships.
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Around the Industry
IBM announced that it had acquired 7Summits, a consultancy firm specializing in developing Salesforce SaaS applications, expanding its ecosystem of digital transformation partners. 7Summits will be part of IBM’s Global Business Services’ Salesforce division, which will continue to expand its Salesforce offerings that leverage IBM's complementary capabilities and expertise.
Cisco has reached a new agreement to acquire Acacia Communications, a components supplier and maker of high-speed optical networking technology, for $4.5 billion. The deal was originally announced back in July 2019. The acquisition of Acacia will help boost Cisco’s optical offerings and allow it to expand its reach into new customers globally.
Citrix has announced that it will acquire Wrike, a SaaS collaborative management workspace leader, for $2.25 billion. The combination of Citrix’s digital work platform and Wrike’s work management solution will give customers an enhanced value proposition thru complementary solutions. The acquisition will also unlock new revenue opportunities for existing Citrix and Wrike customers and give Wrike access to Citrix’s robust ecosystem of partners.
Porch Group, a vertical software company, announced four strategic acquisitions as it looks to strengthen its rapidly expanding platform for home service companies and homeowners. These acquisitions not only expanded Porch’s TAM by almost $100 billion but created a new addressable market in mover marketing.
Qualcomm Technologies, a Qualcomm Inc subsidiary, has announced it will acquire Nuvia Inc for $1.4 billion. Nuvia, a startup developing high-performing central processing chips for data centers, is expected to integrate its CPUs across Qualcomm Technologies’ brand of products for mobile 5G computing, mobile graphics processing units, AI engine, DSP, and multimedia processors.
Partner Program Announcements
Securden, a Privileged Access Management (PAM) and Enterprise Password solutions provider, announced its new channel partner program. In addition to access to the Securden suite of products, VARs will receive technical training, dedicated marketing resources, and lead sharing under the new program.
Versa Networks, a leader in secured edge access and SD-WAN solutions, announced its ACE Partner Program's launch. The new program will provide formalized sales, pre-sales, and technical training for Versa’s solutions. Partners will be awarded to achieve competency and expertise in their specialty areas and be eligible for discounts, sales, and marketing benefits.
Stratus Technologies, a global leader in autonomous edge computing, announced its new VAR program for OEMs, Solution Builders, and Machine Builders. The Stratus VAR Program will give partners access to Stratus’s line of edge computing-based solutions to accelerate new offerings for Industrial 4.0 environments and industrial IoT technology. Partners will receive platform pricing, training, and certification.
Partnership Announcements
Self-driving startup, Aurora, announced a partnership with Paccar, the makers of Peterbilt and Kenworth trucks. Starting with the Peterbilt 579 and Kenworth T680, Aurora will collaborate with Paccar on component sourcing, vehicle enhancements, and integration of the truck vehicles with Aurora’s hardware, software, and operational services. Under the new partnership, Aurora plans to commercialize its vehicle-agnostic self-driving technology within the next several years.
Riskalyze, a provider of risk alignment and portfolio analytics, has announced a partnership with Cetera, a leading financial advisory firm. Cetera will make Riskalyze’s risk alignment platform solutions available to its entire financial professionals network at no cost. With Riskalyze, clients receive the equivalent of a simple and consistent snapshot of their investment portfolio related to their personal risk profile. Financial professionals with access to Cetera’s AdviceWorks solution will have the option to upgrade to Riskalyze’s premium offerings at a discounted rate.
Powell Software, a digital workplace software provider, has announced that it will partner with Allbound, a leading Partner Relationship Management provider, to roll out its first unified PRM platform. Powell Software will leverage Allbound’s Partner Journey module to enhance the partner portal's engagement process for its 70 active partners.
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