vmware solution provider program guide

Solution Provider Program GuideMarch 2012

Solution Provider Program Guide

P R O G R A M G U I D E / 2

Table of Contents

Welcome to the VMware Partner Network! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

How to Use this Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

VMware Program Policies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Program Enrollment and Compliance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Territorial Restrictions, Legal Entity and VMware Program Membership . . . . . . . . . . .5

Developed and Developing Country Definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Purchase Authorization and Discounts for VMware Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Unique Partner Identification Number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Partner Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Partner Integrity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

VMware Solution Provider Program Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

VMware Solution Provider Partner Program Benefits & Requirement Tables . . . . . . . .10

VMware Solution Provider Program Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

Software Licenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

Software Licensing Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

Technical Support Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

Education, Training and Certification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Sales Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Services and Solutions Development and Delivery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

Marketing Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

Sales & Marketing Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

VMware Solution Provider Program Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

Program Fees & Agreements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

Revenue Commitments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

Training & Certifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31

Marketing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31

Relationship Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

Expanding Your Market Opportunities with VMware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

VMware Solution Competency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

VMware Specializations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36

Academic Specialization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37

U.S. Federal Specialization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38

Healthcare Specialization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40



VMWARE DOES NOT PROVIDE ANY WARRANTIES COVERING THIS INFORMATION AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS ANY LIABILITY FOR DAMAGES, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, INCIDENTAL, AND SPECIAL DAMAGES, IN CONNECTION WITH THIS GUIDE OR THE PROGRAMS REFERENCED HEREIN.

THIS GUIDE IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE AND MODIFICATIONS WILL TAKE EFFECT UPON POSTING TO PARTNER CENTRAL. VMWARE RESERVES THE RIGHT TO ADMINISTER AND MODIFY THE PROGRAMS REFERENCED HEREIN AT ITS DISCRETION.

PROGRAM BENEFITS AND REQUIREMENTS ARE APPLIED BASED ON THE PARTNER TYPE AS DETERMINED BY VMWARE, AND THE REGION IN WHICH YOUR PRINCIPAL PLACE OF BUSINESS IS LOCATED AS CAPTURED ON YOUR VPN APPLICATION FORM.



Welcome to the VMware Partner Network!

VMware recognizes that our Partners are the cornerstone to our success

Since 1998, VMware has delivered unmatched virtualization solutions to market, earning numerous industry awards and accolades for innovation and technology leadership.

The VMware Partner Network (VPN) is for our entire Partner ecosystem that sell, build, develop, or train on VMware products and solutions. The VMware Partner Network is designed to recognize your expertise, reward you for the total impact you have in the marketplace, and deliver value to help your business thrive.

Our Partners — The Cornerstone to Our Success

Together, VMware and its VPN Partners (“Partners”) deliver solutions that help businesses grow and innovate, while simplifying computing infrastructure and minimizing total cost of ownership (TCO). With the VMware Partner Network, your company benefits from market leading virtualization and cloud infrastructure solutions combined with award-winning programs designed to enable, distinguish, and reward you. As a member, your company gains exclusive access to resources that will drive both license and service business, create new opportunities, increase profitability and close deals more quickly. Our comprehensive Partner Program, the VMware Partner Network, provides your company with the tools you need to stand out to customers and gain a long-term competitive advantage in your VMware virtualization and cloud infrastructure practice.

Getting Customers What They Need, When They Need itThe VMware Partner Network is designed for our entire Partners ecosystem, a complete network of virtualization and cloud infrastructure practice contributors, with the customer at the core. This community of VMware Partners supports our vision to help customers virtualize their IT infrastructures through centrally-managed computing, storage and networking virtualization and cloud infrastructure. The combination of your solutions and services expertise along with VMware’s virtualization and cloud infrastructure solutions provides your customers with comprehensive, market-leading virtualization and cloud infrastructure solutions for their business and technical needs. Strengthen customer loyalty and maximize profitability by leveraging cost savings for your customers with the VMware Purchasing Program, and Enterprise Licensing Agreements. Maximize your customers ROI with TCO/ROI calculators, Capacity Planner services and Going Green. The VMware Customer Financing Program enables you to offer financing options to your customers.

Build Your Business and Increase ProfitabilityVMware is committed to your success with benefits designed to help you build revenue and drive sales while increasing your market impact. Once your company is enrolled in the VMware Partner Network, you receive immediate access to benefits and resources tailored to your individual business needs. This program is designed to support our reselling Partners in expanding their business by incorporating VMware virtualization and cloud infrastructure solutions into a focused selling and service model. By joining the VMware Partner Network, your company has access to industry-recognized certification training through VMware Partner University which delivers the highest quality training and education for your company’s specific needs. VMware Partner University helps your virtualization and cloud infrastructure practice achieve and build customer confidence, by becoming a distinguished VMware virtualization and cloud infrastructure expert through earned competencies.

Getting the Rewards You DeserveThe VMware Partner Network rewards Partners who incorporate VMware virtualization and cloud infrastructure solutions into their virtualization and cloud infrastructure practices. Whether you have an established relationship with VMware or have just launched your Partnership with us, we want to make certain you receive the greatest possible benefit from this program. Increase your profits through financial rewards and leverage the most cost savings for your customers by combining VMware’s portfolio of Partner incentive programs with customer discounts available through the Volume Purchasing Program (VPP). Supersize your VMware virtualization and cloud infrastructure business with the potential to earn an additional $13* for every $1 of VMware virtualization and cloud infrastructure solutions, when you sell complimentary networking, storage, security, business applications products and professional services.

Stay Ahead of the CompetitionVMware’s comprehensive marketing tools will give your company the competitive advantage to stand out from the competition with interactive lead generation campaigns, product collateral, free license software, web-site content syndication, VMware Partner branding, preference on the VMware Partner Locator, and much more. Give your company everything it needs to get a running start in developing services offerings, including: market analysis, technical collateral, sales tools, and readiness roadmaps. Realize new revenue opportunities with VMware white papers and service acceleration kits.

We encourage all Partners to participate in the ongoing development and enhancement of the VMware Solution Provider Program by submitting your comments to us at [email protected].

*June 2011 Global Touch Inc: Data Center Survey.



How to Use this Guide

This guide describes the VMware Solution Provider Program, including: program policies, the basic structure of the program, program benefits, requirements that apply to Partners, and important tips on how to take advantage of all the VMware Partner Network has to offer. It is divided into the following sections for easy reference.

VMware Program PoliciesThis section outlines VMware program policies related to topics such as program enrollment, compliance, legal entities and more.

Benefits & Requirements TablesThis section provides an explanation of benefits and requirements for each Partner level in an easy-to-read quick reference format.

Comprehensive Benefits ReviewThis section offers the available program benefits. Benefits described in this section may not apply to all Partners as individual Partner benefits are determined by Partner level.

Comprehensive Requirements ReviewThis section offers the program requirements. Requirements described in this section may not apply to all Partners as individual Partner requirements are determined by Partner level.

Solution Competency and Specialization ReviewThis section offers an overview of Solution Competencies and Specializations, the benefits and the requirements of achieving a Solution Competency or Specialization. Requirements described in this section may not apply to all Partners as individual Partner requirements are determined by Partner level.

Special attention should be given to sections indicated by this information symbol. These sections indicate how Partners may take advantage of the services and support defined within the “VMware Benefits” section of this guide.

Special attention should be given to sections indicated by this URL symbol. These sections indicate how Partners may find out more about a specified program element by visiting the listed website link.

VMware Program Policies

Program Enrollment and ComplianceTo join a VMware Partner Program, a Partner must complete an application and execute a VMware Partner Program enrollment agreement. Benefits and requirements vary by program and, for multi-level programs, by membership level. Program member-ship will renew automatically for successive one-year terms provided the Partner remains in compliance with all program re-quirements. VMware reviews program compliance at least once a year, and reserves the right to re-level Partners that exceed or no longer meet the requirements of their membership level.Partners that wish to establish a purchasing relationship with an authorized VMware Distributor in order to resell VMware products or solutions and who wish to become eligible to receive various VMware Partner benefits, must qualify for and join the applicable reselling program in the VMware Partner Network.

Partners may join only one reselling program, based on the following three programs which most closely match Partner’s primary business model:

• VMware Solution Provider Program

• VMware Corporate Reseller Program

• VMware Global System Integrator/Outsourcer Program

Partners enrolled in a VMware reselling program may also be eligible to join one or more of these additional programs, based on applicable program criteria:

• VMware Service Provider Program (“VSPP”)

• VMware Authorized Training Center Programs

• VMware Technology Alliance Partner Program

VMware Program Membership: Legal Entity and Geographic Scope“Territory” means the country in which Partner’s principal place of business is located, as identified by Partner on the VPN application form. For Partners whose principal place of business is located within the European Economic Area (EEA), Territory shall mean the EEA, with a focus on the country in which the Partner’s principal place of business is located.

Except as otherwise authorized by VMware, Partners that desire to operate entities in more than one country must join the Partner Program by submitting a separate click through agreement and application form for the appropriate partner type for each country from which Partner desires to resell VMware products or services. Each operating entity must satisfy the program membership



requirements on its own. Each authorized entity shall be permitted to resell products or services only to end users within its appointed Territory. Additionally, VPN requires that Partners obtain products or services for resale solely from distributors authorized by VMware to deal in the Territory. The foregoing is without prejudice to the freedom of Partners located in the EEA to purchase from and/or resell to other reseller or distribution partners authorized by VMware to deal in the EEA.

Parent companies, affiliates, subsidiaries, or acquired companies of a program member are not program members and do not qualify for program benefits unless each individually satisfies the program membership requirements. Company name, DBA (Doing Business As), or AKA (Also Known As), or other naming convention identified by the program member can be used to establish distinct legal status.

In the case of acquisitions, mergers, and/or other business combinations, the existing membership level of the surviving entity and the operating status of the acquired or merged entity, as applicable, shall dictate the membership criteria applicable to the newly formed entity. If for example, a Corporate Reseller at the Premier level is acquired by another Partner type (say a Solution Provider at the Enterprise level), and the acquired company (Corporate Reseller) is effectively subsumed entirely within the umbrella of the parent company in terms of ongoing business focus, operations and/or corporate structure, the newly formed entity and its subsidiaries will be held to the membership criteria applicable to the parent company (Enterprise level Solution Provider). If however, the acquisition does nothing to change the business focus or operations of the Corporate Reseller Partner, the acquisition will not affect the membership status.

Developed and Developing Country Definition

VMware recognizes that the virtualization and cloud infrastructure market is in different stages of development in different countries. To reflect these differences, VMware modifies certain program requirements, such as program fees and training requirements, for Partners in “Developing” countries. VMware determines whether a country is Developed or Developing based on the number of VMware Partners, the total amount of business generated, penetration of VMware products, and VMware overall goals in that country. The list of Developed countries and VMware’s criteria for transition from Developing to Developed can be found at http://www.vmware.com/go/partnercentral/developedcountries. Any country not listed as Developed will be considered Developing for VMware program purposes. The location of the legal entity that has individually satisfied the membership requirements of the program shall be used to determine whether a Partner is in a Developed or Developing country.

Purchase Authorization and Discounts for VMware SolutionsPartners that wish to resell VMware solutions and that meet the requirements outlined in this guide can qualify to receive

varying discounts on VMware products as passed down through an authorized VMware Distributor. It is up to each Distributor to set the price offered to each Partner, and it is up to each Partner to set the price offered to a customer. Please contact your preferred Distributor or your VMware Partner Business Manager for more information.

Unique Partner Identification NumberUpon program authorization, VMware will provide each VMware Partner with a unique Partner Identification number. This VMware Partner ID is required for all orders, including registering opportunities and Internal Use Licenses. The VMware Partner ID is referenced in order to allocate proper discounts and to calculate specific program benefits, such as MDF, when applicable.

Partner InformationBy joining the VMware Partner Network, a Partner consents to receiving program-related information from VMware for the following purposes:

a) Administering the program;

b) Providing information to the Partner about the program, including events and training opportunities;

c) Inviting Partner to participate in surveys and research; and

d) Providing the Partner with information and materials to support its efforts to deliver VMware solutions, including security information, technical information, and sales and marketing materials and resources.

Partner agrees that VMware may publish Partner’s name and address on the VMware Partner portal in a listing of program members, and may reference Partner as a member of the program using Partner’s logo, subject to reasonable trademark and logo usage guidelines provided by Partner and to the VMware Privacy Policy posted at http://www.vmware.com/help/privacy.html

Partner IntegrityCompliance affects everyone. Our business success depends on our ability to passionately deliver solutions to customers in a responsible, transparent and ethical way. At VMware, we’re committed to helping our Partners reduce business risks that result from noncompliance behavior and avoid unnecessary costs, reputational damage, and penalties, including government sanctions and legal action for violations.

Recent developments in global regulatory policy, including



heightened enforcement by government agencies, together with the risks associated due to an increasingly vast and distributed global business environment, have combined to make competent, consistent Partner due diligence more important than ever before. As an example, enforcement by the US Department of Justice into potential Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), violations have increased nearly 2000% in the past five years with stiff civil and criminal penalties attaching to offenders. While the FCPA provides that any U.S. company must ensure its Partners conducting business overseas aren’t involved in corrupt activities or the bribing of foreign officials to win business or special favors, many local anti-bribery laws and VMware internal policy strictly prohibit bribery in any form and towards any recipient – either a government or commercial party. To increase compliance with the FCPA and similar anti-bribery laws, companies must develop and administer comprehensive compliance programs that broadly address and minimize all compliance risks and extend compliance responsibility to all individuals or entities involved in the downstream distribution, promotion or sale of products and services.

VMware has instituted a comprehensive Partner Integrity initiative which includes some or all of the following elements that direct and indirect Partners must successfully complete both as a prerequisite to being eligible to participate in the VMware Partner Network (VPN) Partner Programs, and on an ongoing basis, to maintain their Partner status: pre-screening, ongoing qualification, Partner vetting, self certification and training requirements. These elements are further detailed below:

a) All Partners must adhere to all terms contained in the VMware Partner Code of Conduct available at: www.vmware.com/go/partnerintegrity

b) As part of the VPN Application process, Partners will be required to acknowledge that they will remain in compliance with the terms of this Program Guide, the Partner Code of Conduct, and all applicable laws pertaining to their resale of VMware products/services.

c) The prescreening process includes an internal business qualification process which will be conducted by VMware sales and finance teams, working in close conjunction with the Partner. Then, based on factors developed by VMware in conjunction with a third party expert, select Partners will be offered provisional acceptance into VPN, with formal enrollment contingent upon successful completion by Partner of a detailed due diligence questionnaire where, amongst other items, the partner must self-disclose any current or pending compliance violations. Any red flags or material areas of concern highlighted in a Partner’s due diligence questionnaire may result in a Partner’s provisional enrollment into VPN being revoked;

d) All Partners must self certify at least every three years that they are in compliance with all applicable laws pertaining to their resale of VMware products and services, with a requirement to immediately disclose to VMware as soon as possible any known or suspected violation of law or VMware policy.

e) Mandatory ongoing training relating to Anti-bribery, including the FCPA, as well as to remind Partners of their obligations with regard to US Export Control Laws is required and will be delivered via VMware’s online “MyLearn” portal. Partners will be required to complete the first installment of training within 30 days after being on-boarded and VMware will conduct periodic audits to ensure compliance. Additional mandatory ongoing training modules will be rolled out by VMware in conjunction with the re-certification of Partners.

VMware values corporate integrity and compliance with all elements of its Partner Integrity initiative is required. Partners are expected to act with integrity and be honest, ethical and accountable in their dealings, comply with all applicable laws and act with the highest levels of corporate integrity in all dealings relating to VMware. Should Partners have any questions about VMware’s Partner Integrity Initiative, they should contact [email protected].



VMware Solution Provider Program Overview

VMware’s Solution Providers (formerly Resellers) are typically Partners whose primary business model is value-added reselling and/or services delivery. By providing customers an unbiased opinion, VMware Solution Providers combine their technology expertise along with services to deliver VMware virtualization and cloud infrastructure solutions to address specific customer business problems. VMware Solution Providers typically lead with upfront discussions to understand their customer’s business needs.

Partners are recognized for VMware virtualization and cloud infrastructure expertise through Solution Competencies. Attainment of competencies helps differentiate Partners by their sales and services expertise in customer-relevant VMware solution areas. VMware offers the following Solution Competencies:

• Infrastructure Virtualization

• Business Continuity

• Desktop Virtualization

• Virtualization of Business Critical Applications (VBCA)

• Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)

For details on how to achieve these competencies as well as the benefits associated with them, please refer to the Solution Competency section of this guide.

Partner LevelsThe Solution Provider program has three programmatic membership levels: Professional, Enterprise and Premier, with Premier being the highest level of membership. Program benefits and requirements increase as Solution Providers engage in more complex virtualization and cloud infrastructure solutions.

Registered PartnerRegistered is the VMware Partnership entry point that allows interested Partners to learn more about VMware virtualization and cloud infrastructure solutions, the Partner opportunity with VMware and provides access to free, online training available to advance their VMware knowledge. Registered Partner is not considered a VMware Solution Provider program level but the guide reflects what access Registered Partners have to show the value of our three Partner levels.

Registered Partners can only resell the following products: VMware® ACE, VMware® Workstation, VMware Fusion®, VMware

vSphere™, VMware vSphere Essentials Kit and VMware vSphere Essentials Plus Kit.

Professional PartnerThe Professional level membership, the first level within the Solution Provider Program, recognizes and rewards Solution Providers that invest in training and are actively selling VMware solutions.

Selling products that involve sophisticated virtual infrastructures, such as VMware vSphere and VMware View™, requires sales and technical knowledge and understanding of the capabilities of such products. To earn promotion to the Professional level, Partners must complete VMware accreditation for a minimum of one VMware Sales Professional (“VSP”) and one VMware Technical Sales Professional (“VTSP”).

Professional Partner are authorized to sell all VMware Products that are available to Solution Providers, other than limited exceptions for certain acquired product lines (Refer to Partner Central for more details).

Enterprise PartnerThe Enterprise level of the VMware Solution Provider Program is intended for organizations with the ability to help customers design, plan and deploy both traditional computing infrastructures and virtual infrastructures. Partners at the Enterprise level generate a significant portion of their revenue from services such as:

• Server installations, upgrades and maintenance

• Server and storage consolidation

• Remote access design and management

• Server-based desktop implementations

• Storage planning, installations, upgrades, and management

• High availability, backup, recovery, and disaster preparedness

• Security planning and tools implementation, including assessments

• Design, implementation, analysis, and testing

• Enterprise management

• Technology architecture planning, staging, integration, and rollout services

VMware Solution Providers at the Enterprise level are required to help customers design, plan and deploy sophisticated virtual infrastructures to meet the technical and business needs of customers. Strong technical knowledge, plan and design best practices, and a clear understanding of the technical capabilities of our products are essential. To this end, Solution Providers must make a minimum investment in VMware certification, show base-level VMware selling success, and achieve VMware solution competencies achievement in order to be promoted to



the Enterprise level. To earn promotion to the level of Enterprise Partner, a Solution Provider must have two VMware Certified Professionals (“VCPs”), two VMware Technical Sales Professionals (“VTSPs”) and two VMware Sales Professionals (“VSPs”) on staff (one VCP, one VTSP and one VSP is required in Developing Countries), and must be able to deliver consulting services and solutions, as demonstrated by achieving and maintaining authorization in the VMware Infrastructure Virtualization competency. Competency requirements include a combination of in-depth training (Sales, Technical Sales, and Technical Post-Sales accreditations) and customer references. The requirements of earning each specific competency may be found in the

“Competencies” section of this guide.

Enterprise level Partners are authorized to sell all VMware products available to Solution Providers.

Premier PartnerThe Premier level is the highest Partnership level within the VMware Solution Provider Program. This Partnership level is for Partners who have committed their business resources to understanding and delivering virtual infrastructure solutions. In addition to the services typical to the Enterprise level, VMware Solution Provider Partners at the Premier level provide a solution-oriented customer approach. They engage in complex solution offerings and demonstrate high levels of skill in areas such as:

• Server

• Storage

• Applications

• WIN/Linux operating systems

• Database

• Networking

A Premier level VMware Solution will be required to help customers design, plan, integrate and deploy the most sophisticated virtual infrastructures to meet the high-end technical and demanding business needs of customers. Technical knowledge and clear understanding of the technical capabilities of our products will be essential in optimizing efficiency and resource use across infrastructures as well as the benefits of increased scalability and performance that derive from larger applications. Premier Solution Providers must show significant VMware selling success and have the ability to sell across multiple VMware solution areas, providing customers with more complex virtualization and cloud infrastructure solutions.

To be promoted to the level of Premier Partner, Solution Providers must:

a) Have been enrolled in the Solution Provider program (or one of its predecessor programs: VIP) for at least one year at the Enterprise level or higher, and must make a minimum investment in VMware certification with four VMware

Certified Professionals (“VCPs”), four VMware Technical Sales Professionals (“VTSPs”) and four VMware Sales Professionals (“VSPs”) in order to meet the challenging technical and business needs of our customers (two VCPs, two VTSPs and two VSPs are required in Developing Countries)

b) Be able to deliver consulting services and solutions, as demonstrated by achieving and maintaining VMware solution competency authorization in a minimum of three VMware-designated solution competency areas. (Two VMware solution competencies are required in Developing Countries.) Infrastructure Virtualization Competency is required. Each competency includes a combination of in-depth training (Sales, Technical-Sales, and Technical Post-Sales accreditations) and customer references. The requirements of earning each specific competency may be found in the “Competencies” section of this guide.

Premier Partners are authorized to sell all VMware products available to Solution Providers.


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VMware Solution Provider Partner Program Benefits & Requirement Tables

In order to support Partners who are members of the VMware Partner Network in the most effective way, VMware Program benefits are tailored for each Partnership type. The tables in this section outline the specific program benefits and requirements for Registered, Professional, Enterprise and Premier Solution Provider Partners.

The benefit and requirement tables contain two symbols to indicate the accessibility of benefits and the requirement standards for each Partnership type. The legend below provides the interpretation for the symbols.

Benefit is included in the VMware Solution Provider Program or the item is a requirement for membership in the program

— Benefit is not available or the item is not a program requirement

Program benefits and requirements listed in the tables below are described in more detail throughout the guide and in the applicable policy documents posted on VMware’s Partner Central site.

VMware Solution Provider Partner Program Benefits Table

STATUS VMWARE SOLUTION PROVIDER PROGRAM PARTNERSHIP LEVEL

PROGRAM BENEFITS REGISTERED PROFESSIONAL ENTERPRISE PREMIER

SOFTWARE LICENSES

Authorization to Purchase VMware Products through Distribution

Please contact your distributor for pricing.

ACE, Workstation, Fusion, vSphere Essentials and Essentials Plus,

vCenter Protect, Zimbra

All VMware Products that are available to Solution Providers, other than limited

exceptions for certain acquired product lines

All VMware Products that are available to Solution Providers

All VMware Products that are available to Solution Providers

Eligibility to Resell Software Renewal Licenses purchased through VMware Distribution

—

Not for Resale Licenses1(NFR)

—

Selection of no-charge software.

Please see the NFR Policy Guide for the most current

entitlements.



entitlements.



entitlements.





Internal Use Software2(IUL)

—

• Selection of discount software

• Please see the IUL Policy Guide for the most current entitlements.

• Selection of discount and no-charge software


• Selection of discount and no-charge software


Volume Purchasing Program (VPP)

— —

Enterprise License Agreements– Preferred Pricing

— —

PRODUCTS, SERVICES AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT

Partner Technical Support

— 2 incidents per year 5 incidents per year 10 incidents per year

VMware Virtual Community Bundle

Requires TSANet Membership

• Discounted Membership

• Dedicated e-mail access

• TSE Talk Live! session










• Access to GSS Management @ VMworld

• Dedicated Forum Access

Partner Resource Tech Support Library

Knowledge Base and Support Forum

EDUCATION, TRAINING, AND CERTIFICATION

Webcasts (vmLIVE)





Field Sales Training —

VMware Sales Professional (VSP) Training and Accreditation

Free, online

Free, online

Free, online

Free, online

VMware Technical Sales Professional (VTSP) Training and Accreditation

Free, online

Free, online

Free, online

Free, online

VMware Certified Professional (VCP) Courses

Training is available20% discount on

VMware-delivered courses.

20% discount on VMware-delivered

courses.

20% discount on VMware-delivered

courses – Up to $7500 reimbursed through

MDF funds, when MDF is paid directly to

Premier partner.

SolutionTrack (face-to-face)

—

SALES SUPPORT

Account Management Through VMware Authorized Distributors

Through VMware Authorized Distributors

Partner Resource Center

Account Manager

Business Planning — — —

Premier Rewards— — —

Based on quota attainment

advantage+ Program Limited Benefits Limited Benefits





Solution Rewards3

—

after achieving

qualifying VMware Solution Competencies

after achieving


after achieving


Sales Leads — —

Solution Enablement Toolkits3

— —

after achieving


after achieving


Product Install Information/Best Practices

—

Assessments Guidelines

— —

Plan & Design Solution Guides

— —

Service Acceleration — —

SERVICES AND SOLUTION DEVELOPMENT AND DELIVERY

Services Delivery Materials & Methodology3

— —

MARKETING SUPPORT





Marketing Planning — — —

Market Development Funds

— —

Funds may be available for regionally-approved activities – check with

your IPBM

Available – refer to MDF Policy Guide located on Partner

Central

Customized Marketing Programs

— — —

SALES AND MARKETING TOOLS

Access to Partner Central

Marketing Tools

Website-in-a-Box

Event-in-a-Box

Seminar & EventSupport

— —

VMware GRID - Partner Ready Campaigns

Partner Marketing Bureau

Marketing Academy

Partner Profile & Partner Locator

— Priority Listing





RSS Feeds

Communications & Newsletters

Partner Exchange/ VMworld Invitation

VMware Partner Advisory Council

— — — Option to Apply

VMware Partner Logo —

Partner Plaque — — —

1. Refer to the NFR Policy Guide on Partner Central for product and program level eligibility for all other products.

2. Refer to the IUL Policy Guide on Partner Central for details on the ‘No-charge Internal use License’ availability.

3. Available after achieving qualifying VMware Solution Competency.

VMware Solution Provider Partner Program Requirements Table

VMWARE SOLUTION PROVIDER PROGRAM PARTNERSHIP LEVEL

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS REGISTERED PROFESSIONAL ENTERPRISE PREMIER

PROGRAM FEES & AGREEMENTS

VMware Partner Program Enrollment Agreement

Initial Program FeeNo Fee

$250 USD(No fee in

Developing Countries)

$1,250 USD ($750 USD in

Developing Countries)No Fee





Annual Renewal FeeNo Fee

$250 USD(No fee in


$1,500 USD ($750 USD in


$1,500 USD ($750 USD in


Annual Compliance Review

Prior VMware Partner Program Participation — — —

One year Enterprise membership in the

VPN Program

REVENUE/TRANSACTION/INFLUENCE COMMITMENTS

Revenue Minimum 1

— $995Developed: $10,000Developing: $2,500

Developed: $1,000,000

Developing: $500,000

TRAINING, CERTIFICATIONS, DEMONSTRATION LABS

VMware Sales Professional (VSP) on Staff

Recommended Minimum of 1Minimum of 2

(1 for Developing Countries)

Minimum of 4(2 for Developing

Countries)

VMware Technical Sales Professional (VTSP) on Staff

Recommended Minimum of 1Minimum of 2



Countries)

VMware Certified Professional (VCP) on Staff

— —Minimum of 2



Countries)

VMware Solution Competency Requirements

— —Infrastructure Virtualization

Infrastructure Virtualization plus at least two additional

competencies(one additional Competency for


Demonstration Lab — — Recommended Recommended

Services Practice — — Recommended Recommended





MARKETING

Completion and Update of Partner Profile 2

—

Update required annually



VMware presence on Partner’s website —

Post “VMware Partner” logo

Post “VMware Partner” logo

Post “VMware Partner” logo and VMware

solution descriptions

VMware Focused Marketing Initiatives

— —1 per quarter (minimum)

2 per quarter (minimum)

Quarterly Marketing Plan (Marketing plans must be approved by VMware)

— — —

RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT

Partner Internal Champion identified

— Recommended

Partner Executive Level Sponsorship

— — Recommended

Named Partner Marketing Contact

— — —

1. Revenue or Transaction requirements may be met through Influence Revenue as measured by approved Influence opportunities registered via the advantage+ Opportunity Registration program.

2. To update or complete a Partner Profile, log in to Partner Central, go to “My Company Profile” found in the left hand navigation bar, scroll down to “VMware Communications” and click the “Edit” button.



VMware Solution Provider Program Benefits

To ensure the success of VMware Partners, the VMware Solution Provider Program offers a wide range of benefits. These benefits include software licenses, technical support services, training and certification, sales support, marketing programs. Benefits will vary depending upon the Partnership type and level in the VMware Partner Network programs. A description of the benefits is included below.

Software Licenses

VMware provides certain Partners with access to a number of VMware software products that enable VMware Partners to build a successful VMware virtualization and cloud infrastructure practice with VMware products, solutions, and services.

Not for Resale Licenses (NFRs) Not for Resale (NFR) software is available to Partners in good standing for product demonstration and training purposes. Under no circumstances can these NFR software copies be copied, resold, hosted for or distributed to any third party or used for Partner information processing or computing needs. One year of subscription services is included with NFR software as long as the Partner remains in good standing within the parameters of the VMware Partner Network Program. Detailed listing of product eligibility by program level can be found in the NFR Policy Guide on Partner Central.

VMware proactively communicates the availability of new versions of software available for NFR use to our Partner community via VMware Partner Newsletters and other communications.

NFR software will be sent automatically to Partners as new products become available and as Partners are promoted in the VMware Solution Provider Program.

For renewal of NFR licenses, please refer to the NFR Policy Guide.

Discounted Internal Use Licenses (IUL) VMware Solution Providers in good standing may purchase at a discounted rate standard VMware product licenses up to a maximum of $50,000 USD list price per calendar year. Internal use licenses (IUL) are for the Partner’s internal IT needs only and are

not for resale to customers or to any third party. Use of discounted internal use licenses is subject to the VMware standard end-user license agreement for the specific product purchased. Under no circumstances can internal use software be resold or distributed to any third party. Please note that Internal Use Licenses cannot be used for backend systems such as management of platform, DNS, billing and provisioning or commercial hosting under any circumstances. Partners are required to purchase subscription and support for internal use software.

Solution Provider Partners at the Enterprise and Premier levels are eligible to order an initial bundle of “no-charge” internal use licenses on certain products. A detailed listing of ‘no-charge’ IUL availability by product and program level can be found in the IUL Policy Guide on Partner Central.

Professional, Enterprise, and Premier Partners can purchase internal use licenses at 50% off select software. This benefit is limited to authorized resale products only. Discount rates are noted in the VMware Solution Provider Program Benefits matrix included earlier in this guide. To obtain these discounted rates, Partners must order internal use software directly from VMware. Please refer to Partner Central for more information on how to order Internal Use Licenses.

Discount rates are noted in the VMware Solution Provider Program Benefits matrix included earlier in this guide. To obtain these discounted rates, Partners must order internal use software directly from VMware.

To obtain these discounted rates, Partners must order internal use software directly from VMware. Please refer to Partner Central for more information on how to order Internal Use Licenses.

Software Licensing Programs

Volume Purchasing Program (VPP) (for customer)The new accumulative VMware Volume Purchasing Program (VPP) provides incremental, tier-based discounts for VMware customers over a rolling two-year period1. The new accumulative VPP also offers online tools that VMware customers and their authorized affiliates can use to track and manage VPP memberships and discounts.2

Volume Purchasing Program Benefits: • Provide significant savings and budget predictability your

customers for up to two years.

• Offer financial incentives to customers when they purchase VMware products in volume with discounts on eligible license products.

1. US Federal Customers are eligible to receive volume discounts using their current program.

2. Please refer to VPP Program Guide for a complete definition of affiliates.



• Drive incremental revenue opportunities with an accumu-lative program and create compelling events sooner for customers.

• Create up-sell opportunities for your customers and their affiliates using online VPP tools.

Volume Purchasing Program Features: • Accumulative Program where qualifying purchases are

aggregated (in the form of “Points”) over a rolling eight-quarter period.3

• Discount Levels are earned automatically based on purchase volumes.

• Easy-to-use online portals for membership enrollment and for tracking eligible discounts.

• Globally consistent program rules that allows discount shar-ing between customers and their affiliates.

VMware VPP Discount Levels 4

LEVEL POINTS DISCOUNT

1 250-599 4%

2 600-999 6%

3 1,000-1,749 9%

4 1,750+ 12%

Partner EligibilityProvided they are in good standing and are purchasing VMware branded products through a VMware Authorized Distributor, the following Partner types may offer their eligible customers the benefits of VPP: Corporate Reseller, Global System Integrator, OEM Corporate Reseller, Premier and Enterprise levels of Solution Provider Partners.

VPP memberships are for end customers only. Distributors and Resellers are restricted from using VPP to order products for internal consumption.

For additional details, please refer to the VPP page on Partner Central or visit www.vmware.com/go/vpp.

Enterprise Licensing Agreements (“ELA”) Preferred PricingVMware’s Enterprise Licensing Agreements provide customer-focused incremental discounts through strategic VMware Partners. VMware is a Partner-focused company and wherever possible will transact business through its network of Partners and Distributors rather than directly with customers.

The VMware ELA Preferred Pricing Program is designed to reward those strategic VMware Partners who have provided value selling around VMware’s products and solutions. By registering qualified ELA opportunities with VMware, Partners may be eligible for preferred pricing to protect their value selling. The registration of these ELA opportunities also ensures VMware’s support during the sales cycle.

Enterprise and Premier level VMware Solution Provider Partners, who are authorized and in good standing are eligible for ELA Preferred Pricing. ELA Preferred Pricing orders have to be processed through VMware Authorized Distributors.

Note: ELA Preferred Pricing is for resale to customers only. Partners may not use ELA Preferred Pricing to order products for their own internal needs.

Technical Support Services

VMware is committed to delivering first-class support to both customers and Partners. To that end, VMware offers options that deliver consistent, high value, product support to Partners and to their customers.

Partner Technical Support VMware provides Technical Support Benefits for eligible products to help enable our VMware Solution Provider Partners to resolve technical issues during the sales and proof-of-concept process.

VMware Solution Provider Partners are given the opportunity to open support incidents. A Support Incident is a single technical issue formally documented and responded to by VMware’s Global Support Services (GSS) team under the terms of the VMware Partner Technical Support Program on a 12x5 basis, phone or e-mail. For each fiscal year of the Program Benefit Term the following support incidents are available at no additional cost:

• Premier Solution Provider-10 support incidents

• Enterprise Solution Provider-5 support incidents

• Professional Solution Provider-2 support incidents

No charge technical support incident entitlements are available on select VMware products. Additional support incidents are available for purchase at special Partner pricing (see your VMware IUL pricelist in Partner Central for eligibility).

Support Incidents are intended as technical support for installation or configuration questions, and are not intended to assist in architecting a solution, resolving issues in a VMware Solution Provider’s or an End-User’s production environment, or as an escalation path into VMware’s engineering. Support Incident entitlement is renewable annually with qualified VMware Solution Provider membership. Members receive access to VMware Global

3. VPP Points are assigned as a calculated value and vary by product. The point value of a given product is the same across all geographies.

4. Discounts are calculated off VMware’s published, then current, local MSRP prices.



Support Services through Support Codes issued upon enrollment or re-enrollment in each year of Program membership.

Any support incidents not utilized by Partners within the year will be forfeited.

A complete overview of the VMware Partner Technical Support Program, including, instructions, terms and conditions, as well as support submission information is available on VMware Partner Central at www.vmware.com/partnercentral

VMware Virtual Community BundleThe VMware Virtual Community Bundle provides a wide range of additional benefits to our Partner community. Its goal is optimize support flow on virtualization issues among VMware and its global Partner community. Partners qualify by signing-up for Technical Support Alliance Network (TSANet) membership, for which VMware has pre-negotiated a reduced annual fee of $200. This unlocks the following additional support benefits:

VMware Virtual Community Bundle benefits available to All Partner Tiers:• Access to VMware’s Technical Support Alliance Network (TSANet) portal

• Allows posting and retrieving relevant information for engaging each others’ support organizations.

• Specifically addresses the need for cooperatively working the most complex support issues that require multi-vendor interaction.

• Significantly reduces overhead since it provides single point of access and single point of maintenance for all parties involved.

• Direct e-mail access to Partner Support Program (PSP) Man-agement.

• Access to “TSE Talk Live!”

• VMware hosted quarterly sessions where senior support engineers discuss technical topics to educate on VMware support processes and procedures, as well as on “hot topics” surrounding product support management.

Additional VMware Virtual Community Bundle benefits avail-able to Premier Partners:• Access to Global Support Services (GSS) management at

VMworld

• Access to dedicated GSS Partner Forum that provides a platform for discussing GSS Partner Management topics

These additional benefits enable Partners to discuss, raise issues and/or make contributions to VMware’s Knowledgebase.

Further details on the VMware Virtual Community Bundle are available on VMware Partner Central at www.vmware.com/partnercentral

Partner Resource Technical Support Training LibraryThe Partner Resource Training Library provides exclusive access to deep dive troubleshooting course material used by VMware’s own technical support experts.

Knowledge Base & Support Forums The VMware Knowledge Base is an online searchable database that includes resolutions to common technical issues, valuable tips and tricks, technical notes and answers to frequently asked questions for VMware products. Additionally, VMware offers support forums that allow Partners to interact with other members of the extended VMware community. Support forums are an excellent place to go to find answers to questions that are not found in the Knowledge Base.

The VMware Knowledge Base and Support Forums can be accessed at www.vmware.com/support

Technical Support Section of Partner CentralVisit the technical support section on Partner Central for further information on how to submit a support request, special pricing on TSAnet membership, support alerts, updates and more.

Education, Training and Certification

An important element of the VMware Solution Provider Program is knowledge transfer through education and training. Product knowledge is a key factor in enabling Partners to effectively sell, deploy, and support VMware virtual infrastructure solutions. VMware Partners seeking to improve and expand technical skills, and achieve service accreditations and certifications, will benefit from VMware’s comprehensive catalog of training opportunities. VMware offers courses that present introductory through advanced product information using online as well as hands-on exercises, preparing Partners for the VMware accreditations and Certified Professional certifications.

Some Partnership levels require a minimum number of technical and/or sales staff to be certified within a specified period of time after joining the VMware Solution Provider Program. These Partnership requirements are outlined within this guide under the VMware Solution Provider Program Requirements section



Current Training StatusAccreditation and Certification requirements and curriculum may change as VMware products and requirements change. As a result, Partners may be required to procure additional training and certification to ensure their product skills are up to date. To the extent that new certifications or accreditation are released, VMware recommends that Partner complete the latest version available. Partners cannot be more than one release behind the current version in their accreditation or certification.

Example,

CURRENT RELEASE

CERTIFICATION RECEIVED FOR

TRAINING STATUS

VMware Certified Professional on VMware vSphere 5 (VCP5)

VMware Certfied Professional on VMware Infrastructure 4 (VCP4)

Current

VMware Certified Professional on VMware vSphere 5 (VCP5)

VMware Certified Professional VMware Infrastructure 3 (VCP3)

Need to recertify

Partners who do not have the correct number of individuals with a current training status risk being re-leveled to a lower program status.

VMware Partner UniversityVMware Partner University is the virtual campus that provides Partners access to the high quality training and education they need to accelerate sales of VMware products, services and solutions. Partner University consolidates VMware training under one framework, meeting the unique skill sets of sales, pre-sales and post-sales professionals through comprehensive, role-based, easily accessible training plans. Partner University provides industry-recognized accreditation and certification programs and will help you:

• Develop your virtualization and cloud infrastructure expertise to increase revenue streams and accelerate your services business.

• Get your individual training needs met with customized role-based training plans.

• Differentiate yourself in the marketplace.

VMware Sales Professional (VSP) Accreditation for Sales ProfessionalsGet up to speed quickly on VMware products and solutions with

VSP training. Our introductory sales training course is available online, at no charge, and is designed to teach Partners about virtualization basics and how to message VMware solutions to new and existing customers. To become a VSP, Partners are required to complete VMware’s online training course. The VSP course includes multiple online modules. A VSP certification is required to sell complex VMware solutions. There is a very high correlation to successful VMware business performance and the number of VSP credentials in a Partner’s organization. There are also VSP requirements for a Partner to move up levels in the VMware Partner Program. VSPs are required to maintain their skills and knowledge base

VMware Technical Sales Professional (VTSP) Accreditation for Pre-Sales ProfessionalsVTSP is an online, self-paced technical accreditation that uses guided tours, demonstrations and quizzes to teach technical pre-sales personnel about VMware products and solutions. To become a VTSP, Partners are required to complete VMware’s online training courses. VTSP is designed to be a springboard for technical people new to selling VMware and virtualization and cloud infrastructure. It includes overviews, basic installation instructions, initial configurations and technical best practices for VMware products. There are VTSP requirements to be promoted into certain Partner levels, as well as to move up levels in other VMware Partner Programs. VTSP’s are required to maintain their skills and knowledge base.

VMware Certified Professional (VCP) Certification for Post-Sales and Services ProfessionalsAs an important element of the VMware Solution Provider Program, the industry recognized VMware Certified Professional Program offers VMware Partners the knowledge, skills, and credentials to deploy and maintain VMware virtualization and cloud infrastructure technology. Enterprise and Premier Partners are required to complete and maintain a minimum number of VMware Certified Professionals on staff. See Program Requirements section for specific requirements for various Partner levels. Professional Solution Provider Partners may take advantage of certification training courses at their own discretion.

VCP is designed for any technical person who wants to demonstrate expertise in virtual infrastructure and increase their potential for career advancement. You can also use the VCP logo on your business card or website. To become a VCP, individuals are required to attend an instructor-led training course to learn best practices and gain hands on experience on VMware products. They will then be required to demonstrate their knowledge and skills to the satisfaction of VMware. There is a fee to take this hands-on training course. Once this is done, individuals can become VMware Certified.

VMware Certified Advanced ProfessionalUpon accomplishing VMware Certified Professional on VMware vSphere 4 (VCP4) you are eligible to pursue our intermediate



level certification: VMware Certified Advanced Professional (VCAP). Available in Datacenter Administration and/or Datacenter Design, this program is appropriate for VCP4s that are ready to further enhance their skills with the virtual infrastructure and add new, industry-recognized credentials to their list of accomplishments.

VMware Certified Advanced Professional on vSphere 4 - Datacenter AdministrationThe VCAP4-DCA is directed toward System Administrators, Consultants and Technical Support Engineers who can demonstrate their skills in VMware vSphere and VMware vCenter technologies in relation to the datacenter, as well as their knowledge of application and physical-infrastructure services and their integration with the virtual infrastructure.

VMware Certified Advanced Professional on vSphere 4 – Datacenter DesignThe VCAP-DCD is directed toward IT Architects and Consulting Architects who are capable of designing VMware solutions in a multi-site, large enterprise environment. They have a deep understanding both of VMware core components and their relation to storage and networking, and also of datacenter design methodologies. They also possess knowledge of applications and physical infrastructure, as well as their relationship to the virtual infrastructure.

VMware License ExpertThe program is designed to provide both an overview of VMware licensing and pricing processes, as well as in-depth implementation training on topics such as licensing, renewals, upgrades, VPP, advantage+ and ELA.

Courses are also available through VMware Authorized Training Centers that are listed on Partner University. Please contact the Training Center for pricing.

Visit Partner Central for training schedules and details.

Depending upon program level, VMware Partners may receive a discount on VMware-delivered training.

Steps to obtaining certification including recommended and required courses, class schedules, and testing center locations can be found in the Partner University section of Partner Central, www.vmware.com/partnercentral

Competency-Based Training VMware has established competency-based training that enables Partners to clearly differentiate their solution expertise

to customers. Partners can earn competencies in Infrastructure Virtualization, Business Continuity, and Desktop Virtualization.

A complete overview of VMware training opportunities is available on Partner University. www.vmware.com/partnercentral

Continuing EducationVMware Partner University offers various continuing education opportunities that allow Partners to educate themselves in VMware solution areas. Many of our courses are offered in live, online, instructor-led and e-learning formats.

vmLIVEvmLIVE is an interactive weekly VMware webinar series designed specifically for our Partner community to help your company develop expertise and build a successful virtualization and cloud infrastructure practice.

SolutionTrack On Tour VMware SolutionTrack On Tour are in-person sales training sessions designed to enable VMware Partners to better sell and articulate a VMware solution. Through an interactive format of classroom presentation, whiteboard tutorials, and role-play scenarios, we teach partners how to present a comprehensive whiteboard solution to senior IT management, application owners, and C-level executives.

VMware SolutionTrack is an integrated, interactive and multifaceted selling model designed to shorten time-to-market for selling VMware solutions. SolutionTrack kits are currently available for VMware Cloud Infrastructure and Desktop Virtualization; new topics are being developed and updated regularly.

Each SolutionTrack topic includes:

• 1-day intensive Partner Symposiums, held worldwide.

• In-depth solution messaging, positioning and hands-on solution whiteboard presentation skills development.

• Complete SolutionTrack Sales Kit provided to all attendees.

VMware SolutionTrack ExpressThe VMware SolutionTrack Express sessions are condensed versions of the highly successful full-day SolutionTracks. Expand your business with existing customers or gain new account business by attending these SolutionTrack Express sessions. Quickly obtain solution insight, a synopsis of the ready-to-use materials, and actionable steps you can take within 72 hours. Learn to sell the solutions that your customers are asking about.

VMware SolutionTrack OnlineVMware SolutionTrack Online is a series of concise, easy-to-



follow whiteboard tutorials and supporting resources. It shows Partners how to have an interactive conversation with customers on VMware virtualization and cloud infrastructure solutions and how to uncover sales opportunities.

VMware Authorized Training CentersThe VMware Authorized Training Centers offer courses in over 600 locations in 50 countries around the globe. Courses are offered in 32 different languages. Partners can register for courses through VMware Partner University within Partner Central.

Quarterly Partner BriefingsVMware Partner Business Managers regularly conduct sales training events for Partners. These sales trainings help Partners identify VMware virtual infrastructure sales opportunities, build credibility and end user perceived value, and articulate how a VMware virtual infrastructure solution can address the customer’s business challenges.

Quarterly Partner Briefings announced in the VMware Partner Newsletters and other communications.

Sales Support

VMware is committed to providing its Partners with the resources they need to increase revenue and grow profits.

Account ManagementDepending upon the level of Partnership, VMware assigns an account manager, and provides a contact or a contact mechanism for the management of ongoing sales related requests.

Business PlanningOn a quarterly basis, certain VMware Partner levels are required to jointly develop a business plan with VMware. For eligible VMware Partner levels, the VMware account manager will work with Partners to determine the expectations and commitments of each party for the given quarter.

Premier Rewards Premier Solution Provider Partners that meet or exceed revenue targets set by VMware are eligible to receive a quarterly rebate, as outlined here and described in more detail in the VMware Premier Rewards Program terms and conditions.

Please check the Premier Rewards Program terms and conditions for qualification criteria.

VMware Premier Partners now have the option to receive revenue credit towards their revenue goal attainment for sales of OEM branded VMware products starting in 11Q4. To be eligible to participate in the OEM portion of the Premier Rewards program, Premier Partners must sign and submit both the Revenue Credit for OEM Sales Partner Agreement and the

Premier+OEM Rewards Program Opt In Agreement. Certain restrictions apply.

Premier Rebates are generally established as follows:

1. VMware will propose quarterly regional revenue targets, based on historical sales plus a year over year growth rate set by VMware.

2. VMware will communicate those revenue targets to Premier Partners.

3. Premier Partners that accept and meet the quarterly revenue target by the VMware-specified date will be eligible for rebates.

Because VMware has no visibility into prices charged to Partners by Distributors, rebate amounts are based on net license revenue received by VMware from Distributor, plus a simulated but uniform uplift. “Net license revenue” is defined as revenue received by VMware from Distributors for sales of VMware products to Premier Partners, less Support and Subscription fees, professional/consulting fees, and any returns or credits. An

“uplift” is established to address changing market and/or industry conditions, and will be applied equally to rebate calculations for all eligible Premier Partners.

Rebates are paid quarterly. Use of rebates is at the Partners’ discretion. All program details can be found in the Premier Rewards Program Guidelines

A complete overview of the VMware Premier Rewards Program, rebate percentage, instructions, terms and conditions, is available on VMware Partner Central at www.vmware.com/partnercentral

advantage+ – VMware’s Opportunity Registration ProgramThe advantage+ program is designed to accelerate our Partners’ virtualization and cloud infrastructure business by protecting the investment made when proactively closing or influencing the sale of VMware products and solutions. Through advantage+, VMware Partners may be eligible to receive exclusive opportunity registration and/or financial incentives for value-selling and leading with VMware solutions.

Eligibility and benefits for the advantage+ program may vary by Partner type, program level and Partner location. See the advantage+ terms and conditions available on VMware Partner Central, www.vmware.com/partnercentral, for details



Solution Rewards VMware Solution Rewards is a financial incentive program that rewards Partners who have demonstrated their dedication to virtualization and cloud infrastructure practices and their investment to drive VMware solutions. The program increases the emphasis on solution selling and the value of Partner-led activities. Under the Solution Rewards program, Partners that achieve VMware Solution Competencies will be eligible to receive a quarterly back-end rebate that is calculated off the list license value of all eligible product sales that are relevant to their solution area of expertise.

A complete overview of the VMware Solution Rewards Program including rebate percentages, process guides and terms and conditions is available on the incentives section of Partner Central.

Sales Leads VMware executes regular sales and marketing programs, such as seminars, events, and email campaigns, to help drive demand and generate leads for VMware virtual infrastructure solutions. VMware Enterprise and Premier Solution Provider Partners are eligible to receive qualified and unqualified leads from these sales and marketing activities.

Leads are distributed to eligible Partners based upon geography and a match between the customer’s requirements and the Partner’s solution focus, skill set and experience. Leads are made available to eligible Partners via our leads tools in Partner Central. The leads are assigned by the VMware Partner Business Manager. www.vmware.com/partnercentral

Solution Enablement Toolkits (SET) VMware Solution Enablement Toolkits (SET) contain a specific set of critical tools, templates, rich services intellectual property and assets that Partners can use to create their own unique pro-ductized and branded solution around VMware technology. Sev-eral SETs are made available in libraries that align to the VMware Solution Competencies: Infrastructure Virtualization, Desktop Virtualization and Business Continuity. Achieving the Competen-cies is required for access to each corresponding library.

VMware Sales RewardsVMware Sales Rewards is designed to reward the accredited sales staff within the VMware Partner Community for their VMware sales and training activities. Through Sales Rewards,

individual Partner sales representatives participating in promo-tional incentives may be eligible to earn reward points to spend on merchandise, gift cards, travel experiences, and more.

Eligibility and benefits for Sales Rewards may vary by Partner type, program level, Partner location, and promotion. See the Sales Rewards page and Sales Rewards portal available on VMware Partner Central, www.vmware.com/partnercentral, for details.

Services and Solutions Development and Delivery

VMware offers a variety of services development resources, programs, tools and communications to help Partners develop and deliver virtualization services in the marketplace. Partner’s use of such resources and materials are subject to the terms set forth below in this guide.

Services MaterialsTo help develop, extend and deliver virtualization and cloud infrastructure solutions based on VMware technology, VMware provides certain Partners with access to a variety of services development resources. Examples of service materials are tools, calendars, report templates, documentation, service delivery guides, Solution Enablement Toolkits (“SETs”), product information, and virtualization methodologies (collectively

“Services Materials”).

Partner’s use of Services Materials in general must be in accordance with the terms of this guide.

Terms of Use for Services MaterialsVMware grants eligible Partners who have access to the Services Materials, a non-exclusive, revocable at will, limited license to use Services Materials for the sole purpose of developing offerings that will support the selling of VMware solutions, and in connection with providing consulting services related to the use, operation, installation and configuration of VMware products. Services Materials shall not be sold or otherwise provided to any third party except where third party independent contractors or subcontractors having a VMware VCP certification are performing on a Partner’s behalf and require access to the Service Materials to fulfill the obligations of the Partner to Partner’s customers. Partner shall in no event distribute or transfer Services Materials to customers, except, in the case of SETs, as specifically provided for herein. Notwithstanding the foregoing limitations, certain elements of a SET that have been labeled “Customer Deliverable” or “Customer Deliverable Elements” on the SET download page may be



distributed by Partners to customers. In such limited instances, VMware grants Partner a limited license to redistribute such Customer Deliverable Elements to customers solely for such customer’s internal use in conjunction with the purchase and utilization of VMware products and solutions. No other right or license, stated or implied, shall be granted to customer.

For the removal of doubt, any element of a SET not labeled “Customer Deliverable” or “Customer Deliverable Elements” on the SET download page may not be distributed by Partners to customers.

Services Materials labeled “Confidential” are VMware Confidential Information as that term is defined in your Program Agreement, and may not be shared with third parties without prior written consent from VMware. Copyright notices appearing in Services Materials may not be removed.

Services MethodologyVMware Solution Providers are encouraged to have a documented services methodology. The methodology should cover all aspects of a service engagement including assessing a project, planning the engagement, building the system, and deploying the solution. The methodology should be a repeatable process that ensures the VMware Partner can and does deliver consistent high-quality service engagements.

Partners developing virtualization offerings and solutions are encouraged to integrate existing methodologies with VMware’s Virtual Infrastructure Methodology (VIM). VIM is designed to improve virtualization and cloud infrastructure solutions and delivery through aligning organizations business goals and strategies with virtualization infrastructure deployments.

Virtualization PracticeVMware Partners are encouraged to have a virtualization practice. The practice incorporates virtualization technology into a solution, supported by a repeatable services methodology. The solutions within the practice solve real-world business problems through services and VMware technology.

Partners interested in developing a virtualization practice are encouraged to work with VMware to identify complementary practice areas and skills such as Infrastructure Virtualization, Desktop Virtualization, Business Continuity or Virtualization Management. VMware Lab Environment VMware Partners are encouraged to develop and utilize a VMware virtualization lab environment. The lab environment helps Partners learn about and gain skills on VMware’s technology, and is used to develop services-focused virtualization solutions. Depending on Partnership level, VMware Partners are eligible for no charge software via the NFR policy that supports the creation of a virtualization lab.

Marketing Support

VMware offers a variety of marketing resources, programs, tools, and communication vehicles to help its Partners market and sell VMware virtual infrastructure solutions.

Marketing Account ManagementDepending upon the level of partnership, VMware either assigns a marketing account manager, provides a contact or provides a mechanism for the management of ongoing, marketing-related requests.

To ensure that VMware Partners eligible for Market Development Funds (MDF) use those funds effectively, VMware will work with eligible Partners to develop a quarterly marketing plan. This plan is designed to help certain Partner types and levels in the VMware Partner Network plan and execute sales and marketing activities to help grow the Partners’ VMware business.

Market Development Funds (MDF)VMware offers Market Development Funds (MDF) to certain qualified VMware Partners. MDF should be used primarily for external marketing and sales activities intended to create demand, attract new VMware customers, cross-sell to existing customers, and generate sales. MDF can help you generate more marketing activities, raise awareness for VMware virtual infrastructure software products and solutions in your market area and drive new business. MDF Guidelines include a well-balanced, comprehensive list of eligible marketing and sales activities designed to uncover new business opportunities, drive sales, and effectively expand market share. MDF also enables VMware to work closely with our Partner community and leverage our joint marketing successes.

To understand further how you can benefit from VMware’s MDF program, please visit Partner Central, or contact your VMware Partner Business Manager, Partner Marketing Manager and/or VMware Distributor

MDF Guidelines are available on Partner Central at: http://www.vmware.com/partnercentral

Customized Marketing ProgramsVMware Premier Partners are eligible to participate in customized marketing programs designed by VMware to drive awareness and generate sales leads. These marketing programs are developed specifically for Partner use and help maximize MDF usage and Partner expenditures associated with marketing VMware virtual infrastructure solutions.



Customized marketing programs are included as part of the marketing planning process. Tools supporting these programs are available on Partner Central at http://www.vmware.com/partnercentral

Sales & Marketing Tools

VMware Partner Central – Partner PortalWe have invested in our Partner community by providing a scalable Partner Central portal. The portal provides:

• Customized content relevant to your program, Partner level, and role

• Improved Partner Locator that allows searches on locations, competencies, Partner levels and Partner types

• Dedicated pages for products & solutions, promotions, sales tools and marketing tools to help develop your virtualization and cloud infrastructure practice.

• Better visibility throughout the Leads, MDF, and Opportunity Registration processes

Upon becoming a VMware Partner, Partners are issued a user name and password to access Partner Central. Partner Central can be accessed at www.vmware.com/partnercentral

Under the Products & Solutions tab in Partner Central, you can find everything you need to promote VMware products to your customers including:

• Brochures

• Data sheets

• Solution briefs

• White papers

• Pre-recorded presentations

• Customer PowerPoint slides

• Customer case studies

• Box shots and other images

Additionally, VMware provides several demand generation programs and easy to use campaign tools, to help you efficiently build and execute customized campaigns. You can find marketing and demand generation information under the Marketing tab in Partner Central.

VMware Demand Generation Program and Tools

Website-in-a-BoxEffortlessly populate your website with fully co-branded VMware content that is automatically populated to your website. This easy to install content syndication program is at no cost and enables you to:

• Promote multiple solutions and products in several languages

• New product content and assets are automatically updated to your website

• Display shared content in formats that match your brand’s look and feel

• Offer free product evaluations and capture lead information

• Includes special offer page with the latest promotions and discount

To learn more about Website-in-a-Box and tour how it works, visit www.vmware.com/go/websiteinabox.

Event-in-a-BoxEasily customize everything you need to run a successful co-branded event without having to know HTML. Our smart e-mail burst and registration management system automatically sends co-branded event invitation, reminder and follow up e-mails and auto-generates registration pages and web postings to promote your event. Presentations are also available for download.

Visit www.vmware.com/go/eventinabox to watch a short tutorial and recieve your login details.

You’ll find customizable slide decks, sales tools and all the supporting documents you’ll need to market & host events on:

• VMware Cloud Infrastructure Management solutions

• Desktop Virtualization solutions

• Cloud Computing.

• Virtualization Management

• Virtualizing Applications

• Small and Midsized Businesses



Additional Seminar and Event SupportIn addition to the Event-in-a-Box tool, VMware often co-sponsors regional Partner events and can provide you with additional resources including:

• Web Listing and Online Registration – VMware publicizes the event on the seminar listings page of the VMware corporate web site located at http://www.vmware.com/news/

• Marketing Collateral & Giveaways – VMware offers co-logoed marketing giveaways for purchase on the VMware Partner store.

To request additional support for a seminar, please contact your VMware Partner Business Manager directly.

VMware Grid Partner Ready Campaigns We are making it easier for you to execute your email campaigns. Simply utilize VMware Grid to easily customized and launch a co-branded campaign. An additional cost may apply.

With VMware Grid campaigns, you can:

• Target your prospects and customers with our the VMware go-to-market themes, messaging, and creative

• Generate & qualify real time leads

• Track responses and build unique profiles for every contact

Customize and launch your own Partner ready campaign by category:

• New Customer Acquisition

• Existing Customer Upsell & Cross-sell

• Customer Cost Savings

• Data Center Solutions

• Desktop Solutions

• Small and Midsize Businesses

• Government Industries

Register now at http://www.vmwaregrid.com to view, customize and launch your own Partner Ready Campaigns.

VMware Partner Marketing Bureau – Your Marketing HelpdeskExpand your virtualization business, nurture new leads and gen-erate new opportunities with marketing services from Partner Marketing Bureau.

The Partner Marketing Bureau will:

• Help you understand VMware marketing programs

• Be an extra set of hands to execute your co-branded campaigns

• Provide guidance on how to find marketing assets on Partner Central

To get started, simply get in touch with the Partner Marketing Bureau in your regions. This information is posted under the Marketing tab in Partner Central.

VMware Marketing AcademyVMware Marketing Academy is a 9-module Learning Plan to educate the novice marketer or refresh the experienced mar-keter on marketing fundamentals and best practices. The goal of Marketing Academy is to help partners increase their marketing effectiveness to drive more leads and ultimately more revenue. The program is comprised of 9 brief (20 – 30 minute) modules that cover everything from Marketing Fundamentals, to How to Build a Marketing Plan, to Effective use of Social Media, Measur-ing Return on Investment and more. Marketing Academy is available in English, French, German, Chinese and Japanese.

Register for Marketing Academy on Partner University, under Learning Plan>By Role>Marketing

Partner Profile and Partner LocatorPartner Profiles provide valuable information about VMware Partners and their VMware software solutions. Partners can utilize the VMware Partner Profile to present and differentiate their solutions and services from the competition. Profiles describe the Partner’s company, capabilities, and solutions.

Information from the VMware Partner Profile is used to populate the Partner Locator accessible to customers on the VMware corporate web site, www.vmware.com. The VMware Partner Locator is a comprehensive, online, searchable listing that reflects the Partner’s relationship with VMware, and promotes their skills, expertise and offerings to customers and prospects as well as VMware sales managers and other employees.

To update your profile, log on to Partner Central at http://www.vmware.com/partnercentral

Partner Profile information is used to populate the online VMware Partner listing and varies by Partner type and level.

RSSStay informed with the latest Partner news by subscribing to VMware’s Partner News Feed.

Visit http://blogs.vmware.com/partner or add http://blogs.vmware.com/partner/rss.xml into your existing RSS readers.



Social MediaReceive the latest updates and insights from our global Partner leaders by participating in our social media opportunities. Sign up now!

Twitter: http://twitter.com/VMware_partners

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/vmwarepartnernetwork

Search for VMware Partner Network on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=1988264&trk=anet_ug_hm

Blogs: http://blogs.vmware.com/powerofpartnership

News & Communications VMware strives to provide Partners with relevant and timely information. To that end, VMware Partners have access to key communication vehicles including:

• VMwarePartnerNewslettersVMware publishes a monthly newsletter designed to keep Partners up-to-date on new developments at VMware. Newsletters typically contain product updates, and Partner Program updates, including new program benefits, promotion information and more.

• VMwarePartnerFlashesVMware provides its Partners with targeted weekly flashes about product and program updates. These short emails high-light promotions and sales tools, quality training information, and tips on how to deliver quality service and technical support.

If you would like to opt out of Partner communications, please update your communications preference by logging in to Partner Central (www.vmware.com/partnercentral) and clicking on “My Contact Details” found in the left hand navigation bar, click the “Edit” button, scroll down to the

“Communication Preferences” section “Receive Communications” field...Select “No” as an option and click “Save”.

VMworld & Partner EventsVMworldEach year, VMware hosts a user’s conference where thousands of loyal VMware customers and prospects attend sessions that provide the most current, in-depth information on VMware virtual infrastructure products and solutions. Featuring numerous track sessions, user group meetings, guest speakers, a Solutions Expo, and evening events, the VMworld conference offers a unique learning and networking opportunity. Covered by analysts and journalists, this event is a terrific opportunity for Partners to directly interact with and present their solutions and services expertise to customers and the press.

VMware Partner ExchangeVMware Partner Exchange is our annual partner conference designed especially for the VMware Partner community. We understand your need for a conference that focuses on Partner education and enablement and we’ll deliver. The program is designed to deliver content specific to your job role and business needs. Sessions will provide you with proven go-to-market selling strategies for VMware solutions, key insights on sales and marketing programs, and in-depth training on VMware technology. Attendance is by invitation only. Benefits for Partners attending the conference include:

• Hear from the leaders in business infrastructure virtualization

• Access to VMware executives and experts

• Visibility to VMware roadmaps and new sales & marketing tools

• Insights on how to accelerate your virtualization expertise

• Training opportunities to complete your solution competency requirements

• Networking with peers

Information regarding participation in the VMworld Conference and VMware Partner Exchange is communicated to our Partner community months ahead of time. When appropriate, information is posted on Partner Central and will be included in the VMware Partner Newsletters and other communications.



VMware Partner Identifier and Logo UsageVMware Partners can promote their partnership with VMware by displaying the appropriate VMware Partner identifier on their web sites, in advertisements and customer communications, and other marketing materials.

Brand and logo usage guidelines and logo files can be accessed and downloaded from Partner Central (www.vmware.com/partnercentral).

Logos are available in .EPS and .GIF formats.

VMware Partner Plaque and CertificatesTo promote the strong relationship between VMware and certain Partner types and levels in the VMware Partner Network Program, VMware provides Premier Partners with a plaque or certificate for display in the Partner’s headquarter offices.

Only one (1) plaque will be provided per Premier level Partner. Questions regarding a Partner plaque should be directed to your VMware Partner Business Manager.



VMware Solution Provider Program Requirements

The VMware Solution Provider Program is focused on delivering virtual infrastructure solutions to customers. To that end, the VMware Solution Provider Program requirements are structured to create a cohesive, collaborative Partner community to sell and deploy VMware virtual infrastructure solutions to end customers.

Program Fees & Agreements

Program Enrollment AgreementPartners accepted into the VMware Solution Provider Program must execute the Partner Program enrollment agreement presented during the application process. This agreement, along with this VMware Solution Provider Program Guide and policy documents referenced herein, defines the relationship between VMware and the Partner.

Program FeesCertain VMware Solution Provider Partners are required to pay an initial program fee and annual renewal program fees. Program fees may vary depending upon the partnership level, or whether the Partner is located in a Developing country as defined earlier in this Program Guide.

• InitialProgramFeeThe initial program fee is payable upon Partner’s execution of the applicable program enrollment agreement, and prior to acceptance into the program. Partners will have 30 days to submit payment or their application may be declined.

LEVEL PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS INITIAL PROGRAM FEE

Registered No Fee

Professional $250 USD (No Fee in Developing Countries)

Enterprise $1,250 USD ($750 USD in Developing Countries)

Premier -

• AnnualRenewalFeeAnnual renewal fees are payable each year to continue program membership. Partners will receive an invoice for their annual renewal fee for the program level in which they

qualify. Non-payment of the program fee within 30 days of invoice date may result in re-leveling of the Partner.

LEVEL PROGRAM REQUIREMENTSANNUAL RENEWAL FEE

Registered No Fee

Professional $250 USD (No Fee in Developing Countries)

Enterprise $1,500 USD ($750 USD in Developing Countries)

Premier $1,500 USD ($750 USD in Developing Countries)

Revenue Commitments

VMware Solution Providers participating in the program are required to meet revenue minimums at the Professional, Enterprise and Premier Partner levels. The minimum requirements are outlined below:

Professional Partner Level To maintain membership authorization at the Professional level, a Solution Provider must have achieved sales revenue minimum of $995 USD within 12 months of promotion, and must continue to meet this revenue requirement on a rolling 12 month basis. This amount represents closing at least one transaction per year of one of VMware’s core products, demonstrating selling capabilities, knowledge of VMware products and basic technical knowledge.

Enterprise Partner LevelTo be promoted to and remain at the Enterprise level, Partners must have achieved sales revenue within the previous 12 months of $10,000 USD for Developed Countries or $2,500 USD for Developing Countries, and must continue to meet this revenue requirement on a rolling 12 month basis. This amount represents multiple transactions in a year, or the sale of one of VMware’s more technically sophisticated solutions, demonstrating selling efficiency and more sophisticated technical knowledge.

Premier Partner LevelTo be promoted to and remain at the Premier level, Partners must have achieved sales revenue within the previous 12 months of $1,000,000 USD for Developed Countries or $500,000 USD for Developing Countries, and must continue to meet this revenue requirement on a rolling 12 month basis. This amount approximates the historical minimum annual revenue of our top-performing Partners, accounting for reasonable market growth, demonstrating



Partner’s expertise in selling sophisticated VMware solutions efficiently and proficiently, and justifying VMware’s commitment to promoting sales through its top-performing channels.

The revenue commitment is calculated based on:

• Net sales of license, support, and subscription (SnS)

• Enterprise Licensing Agreement (ELA) as net to VMware

• Approved advantage+ influence claims

• Volume Purchasing Program (VPP)

• VMware Service Provider Program (VSPP)

• Professional Services (only for the original transaction not for renewal opportunities)

• Sales of OEM branded VMware Products*

VMware will check compliance at least once a year upon program membership renewal, and reserves the right to confirm compliance more frequently.

Note: Renewal bookings, Training Revenue, and Internal Use Licenses (IUL) do not count towards the revenue commitment.

* Participating Global OEM Sales will count towards revenue commitment upon an OEM participating in the VPN Revenue Credit for OEM Sales Initiative. Please refer to the Revenue Credit for OEM Sales Frequently Asked Questions document for more details and a list of participating Global OEM Partners.

Training & Certifications

The following accreditations or certifications are required:


VMware Sales Professional (VSP) on Staff

Recommended Minimum of 1Minimum of 2 (1 for Developing Countries)

Minimum of 4 (2 for Developing Countries)

VMware Technical Sales Professional (VTSP) on Staff

Recommended Minimum of 1Minimum of 2 (1 for Developing Countries)


VMware Certified Professional (VCP) on Staff

— —Minimum of 2 (1 for Developing Countries)


Marketing

Partner ProfileVMware requires Partners to complete a Partner Profile, providing an overview of the Partner’s VMware-oriented solutions and areas of expertise. Partner Profiles are an important mechanism in promoting our Partner’s value-add to prospective and existing customers, as well as VMware sales managers. VMware may also require support, marketing, and technical contacts to be included in the Partner Profile. Partner Profiles must be updated regularly and at minimum annually. It is the responsibility of the Partner to ensure their profile is kept up-to-date.

Partner profile updates can be completed online by going to Partner Central (www.vmware.com/partnercentral)

VMware Focused Marketing InitiativesDepending upon partnership type and level, VMware Partners are required to include VMware and VMware products and/or solutions in a minimum number of the Partner’s marketing activities per quarter. Activities can include, but are not limited to advertising, events, seminars, direct mail, email-based customer communications, etc. Professional and Enterprise Partners are required to post the “VMware Partner” logo on their web site. Premier Partners are required to post the “VMware Partner” logo on their web site and show the VMware solution descriptions. Required Partner marketing activities should also be outlined in the quarterly marketing and business plan.

Quarterly Marketing PlanQuarterly marketing plans are required depending upon Partner type and level. These plans are typically included in the quarterly business planning process and help to ensure that business and marketing goals are synergistic.



Relationship Management

Partner Internal VMware ChampionDepending upon VMware Program partnership type and level, Partners may be required to assign an internal “VMware Champion.” The VMware Champion is extensively trained on VMware products and acts as an internal evangelist for VMware products and solutions. VMware strongly recommends all Partners assign a VMware Champion, even if it is not a program requirement for the Partner’s Partnership level.

Partner Executive SponsorshipFor certain partnership types and levels VMware requires Partners to assign senior level ownership to facilitate and maintain an ongoing relationship with VMware. Typically, this requires one executive contact and one primary account manager within the Partner’s organization.

Named Partner Marketing ContactVMware requires Premier Partners to assign a named partner marketing contact.



Expanding Your Market Opportunities with VMware – Solution Competencies and Specializations

VMware Competencies and Specializations are two paths that partners can take to expand their VMware business. VMware Solution Competencies designate partners as product solution experts who can deliver unique sales, marketing and product benefits across all markets. VMware Specializations are designed around specific market opportunities and designate partners as experts who can deliver focused sales and marketing into specific industry markets. Definitions: Solution Competencies and Specializations

COMPETENCIES SPECIALIZATIONS

• Product and solution expertise

• Required to achieve VMware partner membership levels

• Offers additional financial and marketing benefits

• Specific industry expertise

• Required to gain access to restricted SKUs in certain markets

• Offers additional market –specific sales and go-to-market benefits

VMware Competencies:

• Infrastructure Virtualization Competency

• Business Continuity Competency

• Desktop Virtualization Competency

• Virtualization of Business Critical Applications Competency

• Infrastructure as a Service Competency

VMware Specializations:

• Academic Specialization

• U.S. Federal Specialization

• Healthcare (North America only)

Solution Competency

A VMware Solution Competency is a recognized level of expertise that enables you to sell VMware Virtualization into a

specific solution area. Competencies are earned through a combination of in-depth training and customer references. Competencies can help you to grow your business by:

• Differentiating your skills and expertise to customers

• Aligning your business and strategic goals with VMwar

• Being identified as a ‘Go to Partner’ by VMware Sales in customer engagements

• Giving you access to additional sales, marketing and product-related benefits and resources

There are several VMware Solution Competencies, each designed around specific VMware solutions. Each competency has a unique set of requirements and provides exclusive benefits. The following descriptions can be used to determine which VMware competencies are right for your business.

COMPETENCY DESCRIPTION

Infrastructure Virtualization

Designation of expertise that recognizes your company’s experience in virtualizing and consolidating customer’s server environments.

Business Continuity Designation of expertise that recognizes your company’s experience in designing and implementing VMware virtualization solutions for data protection, high availability and disaster recovery.

Desktop Virtualization

Designation of expertise that recognizes your company’s experience in deploying VMware solutions for virtualizing desktops and applications.

Virtualization of Business Critical Applications

Designation of expertise that recognizes a company’s experience in the virtualization of business critical applications with VMware

Infrastructure as a Service

Designation of expertise that recognizes a company’s experience in private/hybrid cloud solutions and services.



Solutions Competency Benefits

SALES SUPPORT BENEFITS

Financial Incentive The Solution Rewards incentive program (detailed earlier in this Guide) is available to Partners with qualifying VMware Solution Competencies. A quarterly back-end rebate is provided for sales of related products for the eligible Competencies. Rebates are calculated based on list license price.

Solution Enablement Toolkits Exclusive library of tools, templates, services intellectual property (IP) and assets to create Partners unique productized and branded solution around VMware technology

Subject Matter Expert Access to technical solution experts in the field for Premier Partners

MARKETING BENEFITS

Unique Designation and Branding

Competency specific branding and logo

Additional Funding Eligibility to receive available funding for VMware approved marketing campaigns, proof of concept and lead generation activities

Partner Success Stories VMware sponsored joint Partner success story on approved customer references

Promotion of partners to customers

Partners with the Competency designation will be displayed on Partner Locator through VMware.com

Press Release Templates Press release templates showcasing Partners’ achievement of Competencies. Available in select regions only.

Promotion of Partners to VMware Sales

Internal communication vehicles to promote Partners to Field Sales and Systems Engineers as the ‘Go to Partners’ for customer engagements

PRODUCT RELATED BENEFITS

Beta Program Invitation to participate in selective beta programs and release candidate (RC) programs

Product Roadmap Early visibility into product roadmap

Partner Exchange Invitation to participate in exclusive solution focused sessions with VMware Product Managers.

Solution Competency Benefits & Requirements Tables

The Competency Benefits and Requirements listed below are in addition to the benefits and requirements of the applicable Partner Program of the VMware Partner Network. Competency Benefits and Requirements do not vary by Partner type or program level.



Solution Competency RequirementsSales Partners of the VMware Partner Network can earn a VMware competency at any time throughout the program year. Eligible Partners can earn and be authorized into multiple Solution Competencies to maximize on all available benefits. Infrastructure Virtualization is the first Competency that must be achieved prior to attaining any of the other Solution Competencies.

VMware requires the following accreditations and customer reference criteria to be met to earn a VMware Competency. The accreditations can be completed by one or multiple individuals in the company. However, courses within an accreditation (not listed here) must be completed by the same individual:

1 Infrastructure Virtualization Solution Competency must be attained prior to earning other Solution Competency accreditations.

2 Or pass the vCAP - Datacenter Design exam.

3 One VMware Certified Advanced Professional-Data Center Design (VCAP-DCD) certified person on staff is required for any Partner Company taking the VBCA Competency.

4 Individual VBCA Technical Post-Sales Accreditations may be completed by 1 or more individuals provided they are a VMware Certified Professional (VCP) or hold an advanced certification that requires VCP.

REQUIREMENT INFRASTRUCTURE VIRTUALIZATION 1

VIRTUALIZATION OF BUSINESS CRITICAL APPLICATIONS 1 AND 3

BUSINESS CONTINUITY 1

DESKTOP VIRTUALIZATION1

INFRASTRUCTURE AS A SERVICE

Sales Accreditations

Minimum of 1 Minimum of 1 Minimum of 1 Minimum of 1 Minimum of 1

Technical Sales Accreditations

Minimum of 1 Minimum of 1 Minimum of 1 Minimum of 1 Minimum of 1

Technical Post Sales Accreditations

Minimum of 1 required in each of the following:

• Capacity Planner

• Assessment Fundamentals

• vSphere Design2

• vSphere Upgrade

Minimum of 1 required in each of the following:4

• Virtualizing Microsoft SQL Server with VMware

• Virtualizing an Oracle Database with VMware

Minimum of 1 required in of the following: 4

• Virtualizing Microsoft Exchange with VMware

• Virtualizing Microsoft SharePoint with VMware

• Virtualizing SAP ERP Software with VMware


• Overview and Design

• SRM Implementation Fundamentals


• VMware View Implementation Fundamentals

• VMware View Design


• Deploy and Manage

• Design

Customer Reference Validation

1 approved reference in Infrastructure Virtualization

1 approved reference in or 3 prospect customers submitted at time of enrollment into competency.

Customer reference required within one year of enrollment.


Customer reference validation required within one year of enrollment


Customer reference validation required within one year of enrollment.


Customer reference validation required within one year of enrollment.



VMware Specializations

A VMware Specialization is a recognized level of expertise in a specific market segment. Specializations are earned through a combination of experience in the specific marketplace and successful completion of the VMware training.

Partners may earn one or more VMware Specialization that best aligns with their current and future business interests. The Specialization benefits and requirements listed below are in addition to the benefits and requirements of the applicable Partner Program of the VMware Partner Network.

Through Specializations, partners have access to market-specific pricing, education and information. VMware Specializations enable partners to drive cross-sell and up-sell revenue opportunities in their area of expertise. Specialization can help you to grow your business by:

• Increased Business Opportunities by enabling you to drive deeper customer relationships, creating more cross-sell and up-sell opportunities

• Differentiation that distinguishes you from other partners and provides unique vertical offerings to your customer

• Competitive Pricing to further increase your margin potential

• Increase Your Visibility with customers looking for virtualization partners with unique market knowledge

• Faster and More Efficient Sales through market-specific information, such as Academic and U.S. Federal licensing programs that support and reduce the sales cycle

VMware Specializations Available TodayVMware offers the following Specializations, each designed around specific VMware markets. Each Specialization has a unique set of requirements and associated benefits. The following descriptions can be used to determine which VMware Specializations are right for your business.

EligibilityPartners may earn one or more VMware Solution Competencies that best align with their current and future business interests. The ‘Infrastructure Virtualization’ competency is a pre-requisite to earning additional competencies. All Premier, Enterprise and Professional Partners from the following Partner Programs are eligible to earn VMware Competencies:

• Corporate Resellers • Global SI & SOs • Solution Provider

Partners must follow the steps below to earn a competency:1. Complete and be compliant with all core training require-

ments (VSP, VTSP, VCP) for the applicable partner program.

2. Complete the applicable Sales, Technical Sales, and Techni-cal Post-Sales accreditations as outlined in the table above. Begin with Infrastructure Virtualization which is a pre-req-uisite to attaining the other Solution Competencies.

3. Submit the VMware Competency Enrollment Form located on Partner Central upon completion of the required train-ing. Reference customer must also be submitted as part of the enrollment process. The enrollment form will also be automatically pushed out to the primary business owner upon completion of the required training.

Validity and ExpirationA Solution Competency is valid as long as the requirements for that competency are maintained. Competency requirements comprise a combination of training and customer reference validation criteria. Partners must hold the most current accreditations (or one revision back) for the competency. Additional product and services training requirements may be incorporated into a given Competency as new products become available. Customer references are valid for a period of two years. Prospect customers are valid for one year.

Partners are re-evaluated at time of membership renewal to ensure they are compliant with all then-current training and customer reference requirements.

For more information or to enroll in a VMware Solution Competency, visit Partner Central or contact your VMware Partner Business Manager.



VMware Academic Specialization Benefits and Requirements


Academic SKU Access Academic SKU Access through authorized VMware Distributors

MARKETING BENEFITS

Unique Designation and Branding Academic Specialization specific branding and logo

Academic Marketing Information Access to Academic- specific VMware marketing and industry information

Promotion of partners to customers Partners with the Specialization designation will be displayed on Partner Locator through VMware.com

SPECIALIZATION DESCRIPTION APPLICABLE GEO

Academic A designation recognizing your company’s expertise and experience addressing solutions unique to Academic market requirements, integrating VMware technology to address these needs and bringing business value solutions to Academic business applications.

World Wide

U.S. Federal A designation available to VMware partners in the United States engaging in sales, design, development, and integration of virtualization solutions and services to the U.S. Federal Government

United States Only

Healthcare A designation distinguishing you based on your expertise in the Healthcare marketplace and recognizing your company’s investment in driving integration of VMware’s technology to differentiate and deliver healthcare solutions.

North America Only

Validity and Expiration A VMware Specialization is valid as long as the requirements for that specialization are maintained. Specialization requirements include successful completion of the associated market-specific experience and testing. Partners must demonstrate capability to sell into the specific marketplace.

Partners are re-evaluated at time of membership renewal to ensure they are compliant with all then-current training.

For more information or to enroll in a VMware Specification, visit Partner Central or contact your VMware Partner Business Manager.

Academic Specialization

The VMware Academic Specialization distinguishes and rewards partners based on their expertise in the Academic marketplace. With the VMware Academic Specialization, you gain access to unique Academic SKUs, market-specific pricing, and Academic market information. VMware’s Academic Specialization will further enable you to drive revenue opportunities in the Academic marketplace.

The Academic Specialization Benefits and Requirements listed below are in addition to the benefits and requirements of the applicable Partner Program of the VMware Partner Network. Academic Specialization Benefits and Requirements do not vary by Partner type, program level or location (such as Developed versus a Developing country).




Press Release Templates Press release templates showcasing Partners’ achievement of Specializations. Available in select regions only



SPECIALIZATION REQUIREMENTS

Complete Academic Enrollment Form Successful completion of Academic Specialization Form (located on Programs Form Tab in Partner Central)

Accreditation and Test Successful completion of Academic Specialization Accreditation and Test (no cost, web-based training about 60 minutes in length, passed with 80% accuracy)

EligibilityPartners may earn one or more VMware Specialization that best aligns with their current and future business interests. All Premier, Enterprise and Professional partners from the following partner programs are eligible to earn the VMware Academic Specialization. Registered partners are not eligible to participate in the Academic Specialization program.

• Corporate Resellers

• Global SI & SOs

• Solution Providers

Partners must follow the steps below to earn a VMware Academic Specialization:– Complete Academic Specialization Enrollment Form (located on Program Forms tab in Partner Central)

– Successfully complete Academic Specialization Accreditation and Accreditation Test (located on Partner University)

U.S. Federal SpecializationThe VMware U.S. Federal Specialization is designed to reward you as a strategic VMware partner, providing specific access to VMware’s full range of Federal products and services. The U.S. Federal Specialization supports the unique needs within this market and addresses how to go-to-market with VMware solutions.

Demostrated U.S. Federal Capability or HistoryThe U.S. Federal Specialization provides incentives to partners who make an investment with VMware. VMware reserves the right to limit the number of U.S. Federal Specialization partners.

The VMware U.S. Federal Specialization distinguishes and rewards partners based on their expertise in the Federal marketplace. With the VMware U.S. Federal Specialization, you gain access to

sell into the U.S. Federal Government as well as access to unique Federal SKUs and specific government market information. VMware’s U.S. Federal Specialization will further enable you to drive revenue in the U.S. Federal marketplace through cross-sell and up-sell opportunities.

The U.S. Federal Specialization benefits and requirements listed below are in addition to the benefits and requirements of the applicable Partner Program of the VMware Partner Network. U.S. Federal Specialization Benefits and Requirements do not vary by Partner type, program level or location (such as Developed versus a Developing country).

MARKETING BENEFITS



VMware U.S. Federal Specialization Benefits & Requirements


Federal SKU Access Federal SKU Access through VMware authorized Government Distributor

MARKETING BENEFITS

Unique Designation and Branding Federal Specialization specific branding and logo

U.S. Federal Marketing Information Access to Federal- specific VMware marketing and industry information

Promotion of partners to customers Partners with the Specialization designation will be displayed on Partner Locator through VMware.com

Press Release Templates Press release templates showcasing Partners’ achievement of Specializations.



VMware U.S. Federal Specialization Requirements

REQUIREMENTS

Capability to sell into the U.S. Federal marketplace

Demonstrate capability to sell into the U.S. Federal marketplace by:- Current Federal Contracting Vehicles (submitted in enrollment form and validated through VMware Federal sales team)- VMware U.S. Federal license revenue of $20,000 USD or greater over previous 12-month period or obtain VMware approval on a go-to-market plan focused on the U.S. Federal market

Accreditation and test Successful completion of U.S. Federal Specialization Accreditation and test (no cost, web-based training, 60 minutes in length, passed with 80% accuracy)Minimum 2 people accredited

U.S. Federal revenue minimum

To remain in the program, annual VMware U.S. Federal license revenue must remain at $20,000 USD or greater measured on Program anniversary date



Solution Provider Program GuideSolution Provider Program Guide

Eligibility Partners may earn one or more VMware Specialization that best aligns with their current and future business interests. All Premier, Enterprise and Professional partners from the following partner programs are eligible to earn VMware U.S. Federal Specialization:


• Global SI & SOs

• Solution Providers

Partners must follow the steps below to earn a specialization:

– Complete Specialization Enrollment Form (located on Program Forms tab in Partner Central)

– Successfully complete Specialization Accreditation and Accreditation Test (located on Partner University)

– Demonstrate sales capability into the U.S. Federal mar-ketplace either through VMware U.S. Federal license revenue of $20,000 USD over the previous 12 months, or a VMware-approved go-to-market plan focused on the U.S. Federal market.

Healthcare Specialization

The VMware Healthcare Specialization distinguishes and rewards partners based on their expertise and investment in the Healthcare marketplace. With the VMware Healthcare Specialization, you gain access to VMware Healthcare specific branding and a range of market specific information and resources enabling you to drive deeper customer relationships, creating more cross-sell and up-sell opportunities.

The Healthcare Specialization Benefits and Requirements listed below are in addition to the benefits and requirements of the applicable Partner Program of the VMware Partner Network. Healthcare Specialization Benefits and Requirements do not vary by Partner type, program level or location (such as Developed versus a Developing country).

Eligibility Partners may earn one or more VMware Specialization that best aligns with their current and future business interests. All Premier, Enterprise and Professional partners from the following partner programs are eligible to earn the VMware Healthcare Specialization:


• Global SI & SOs

• Solution Provider

Healthcare Specialization Benefits & Requirements


Press Release Templates Press release templates showcasing Partners’ achievement of Specializations. Available in select regions only.



Healthcare Lead Generation Receive priority access to leads from select Healthcare industry events

MARKETING BENEFITS

Unique Designation and Branding Healthcare Specialization specific branding and logo

Promotion of partners to Customers Partners with the Specialization designation will be displayed on Partner Locator through VMware.com

Solution Provider Program GuideSolution Provider Program Guide


Healthcare Solutions Campaigns Get access to Healthcare specific campaigns

Healthcare Marketing Information Access the latest healthcare industry and competitive information through quarterly webinar series

SPECIALIZATION REQUIREMENTS

Partner Type Healthcare Specialization is available to Professional, Enterprise and Premier Solution Providers and Global Systems Integrators & Outsourcers, ISV’s and Corporate Resellers in North America

Healthcare Specialization Enrollment Form

Successful completion of Healthcare Specialization Form (located on Programs Form Tab in Partner Central)

Desktop Competency Completion of the Desktop Virtualization Solution Competency (located in Partner University)

Go to Market Plan Completion of a Health Care Go To Market Plan. All Go To Market plans will reviewed by VMware’s Healthcare team for alignment with VMware’s Healthcare strategy. Selected companies will be awarded Healthcare Specialization.

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