Partners remain ‘crucial’ for New Relic’s APAC channel growth

New Relic has been strengthening its partner ecosystem in Asia Pacific (APAC) with new enhancements to its partner program. 

Motivated by customer acquisition opportunities in the region, the observability platform vendor revealed it has made “significant” investments into resources to support partners. 

Stewart Cochrane – speaking to Channel Asia as senior director of Alliances and Channels in Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ) – described channel partners as being “crucial” to New Relic’s success, with some of its largest regional customers being acquired via its partners.

“The benefits here are obvious – we aim to be best in class at supporting our partners every step of the journey, from customer acquisition to renewal,” he added.

“Similarly, for new partners, we have invested in a program that provides a white glove experience so they can quickly be upskilled and accredited to start their New Relic journey rapidly.”

Meeting partner needs

Recognising that resources need to be tailored for individual partner needs, New Relic has announced enhancements to its co-branded marketing, onboarding and enablement programs. 

Specifically, additional support from regional partner managers and engineers will be given, and a dedicated partner marketing function has been established to drive co-branded activities and campaigns in a bid to generate “real pipeline” for partners. 

In addition, the vendor has launched a new monthly webinar, PartnerCast, which aims to provide partners in APJ with “relevant and regular” product innovations and new sales and marketing assets.

According to Cochrane, several push factors underpin New Relic’s partner program enhancements. While maximising scale and reach is imperative, the additional resources reflect the value New Relic has placed on partners as they drive customer adoption of the vendor’s platform.  

“We have partners representing New Relic across the region making a significant contribution to our business and, most importantly, delivering extra value to our customers,” he shared. 

“By leveraging the expertise and reach of our partners, we have accelerated our growth and better served the needs of our customers. We are delivering a partner program that includes a range of channel partners, such as value-added resellers, managed service providers, system integrators, and technology partners.”

Growth priorities in the region

Within APAC, New Relic is also looking to seize opportunities to assist organisations on their observability maturity journey. 

Cochrane found that various customers and prospects are seeking partners to enable their transformation which further justifies the provision of certification and training programs for New Relic’s partners.

“In my experience, observability in many companies is seen as business critical, but very few have the skills in-house to execute,” he shared. “This is a huge opportunity for our partners, as their customers need support on their maturity journey in this growing category.”

Case in point, the vendor had recently elevated one of its partners – SoftwareONE – to Platinum Partner status after the company exceeded its annual consumption revenue targets and met all sales and technical accreditations.  

With the acknowledgement, SoftwareONE will enjoy benefits such as priority access to solution delivery, architects and programs, eligibility for marketing development fund programs, and New Relic executive alignment. 

New Relic also announced it has signed a regional partnership with SoftwareONE that covers India, ASEAN, Hong Kong, and ANZ, making it the first deal of its kind in APAC for the vendor.

“This past year has been all about building the foundations of a best-in-class partner program. In 2023, our priority really is about compounded growth through our partner ecosystem,” asserted Cochrane.

“We have made a significant investment in people and the program to support this growth, and we’re only just getting started.”