Dell shares details of 2025 partner programme

Dell has outlined the focus areas for its partner programme this year, with the vendor looking to encourage greater collaboration with its channel.

There has been a flurry of partner programme announcements as vendors across the industry look to cue up the enhancements and changes coming this year.

Dell is adding to those, with the vendor’s chief partner officer, Denise Millard, taking to the blogosphere to outline the changes included in its 2025 partner programme.

She said partners already contribute approximately 50% of the vendor’s net revenue and it was looking to build on that with a programme that “delivers a predictable engagement model and is designed to drive profitable, sustainable growth for our partners”.

Dell is introducing a number of incentives to encourage partners to expand their business, with Titanium partners able to take advantage of a 2% Storage+ growth incentive when they meet quarterly targets. There are also rewards for those that meet expectations on the Client PC side of the business.

The vendor is hoping its artificial intelligence (AI) PC offerings will spark a customer refresh, and is encouraging partners to tap into that opportunity by increasing Client+ base rate eligibility and counting consumer products towards that.

There are also rebates on offer to all partners that bring in new business across the storage, data protection or Client+ portfolios.

“The rebate is eligible for large, underpenetrated accounts, adding previously ineligible end users to acquisition rebate eligibility,” stated Millard.

Dell is expecting AI to have an impact by expanding channel growth opportunities this year, and is encouraging partners to engage with the resources and products it is making available.

“We’re embedding AI in our solutions to make them more intelligent, enabling customers to run AI workloads on our products, supported by our services offerings,” she added. “We’re giving partners access to AI-enabled architecture like the Dell AI Factory to help them build AI capabilities on our industry-leading portfolio. We’re co-engineering an open AI ecosystem with strategic partners so deployments are repeatable, scalable and drive time-to-value.”

As a result, the 2025 programme will signal several areas where partners can expect to increase revenues, including AI networking, with incentives around its PowerSwitch Z-series. The firm is also updating its data science and AI training competency.

There are also reward multipliers available for those providing storage-attached services and Apex subscriptions. Dell is already committed to a partner-first strategy with storage, but has also used the enhancements to the programme to usher in the introduction of the Compete Select rebate.

Millard said the decision to hand storage to the channel had paid off and it had seen an increase in activity. “With a five times increase in Partner of Record storage accounts since launch, Partner First is fostering collaboration between Dell sellers and partners, helping to unlock new revenue streams and drive storage outcomes,” she added.

She indicated that the 2025 programme had been developed with plenty of input from partners to make sure it delivered the rewards and support they were looking for.

“We listened to our partners’ feedback and continue to enhance our tools, policies and processes to make it easier for partners to do business and engage with us,” she said.

“With predictable engagement and tailored rewards, we’re committed to our partners’ success. There has never been a better time to partner with Dell. The future is bright and when we work together, we win together,” she concluded. 

From a local perspective, Ian Heath, UK head of channel and distribution at Dell Technologies, said last year had seen it establish momentum in storage with the partner-first strategy, expand its Partner of Record programme and increase rewards on the client side of the business.

“The 2025 Dell Technologies Partner Programme represents another year of collaboration and growth. And with the unprecedented opportunity surrounding Win11 and GenAI, we will be doubling down on supporting our partners to grow their client business,” he said.

“With enhanced tools, tailored incentives and collaboration-first strategies, we’re absolutely committed to strengthening engagement, predictability and shared success,” he added.

Dell shared some reaction from partners around the enhancements, with many commenting on the benefits of closer collaboration with the vendor.

“Collaborating closely with Dell, we can unlock new opportunities, expand our market reach and help our customers achieve success,” said Phil Doyle, CEO of Boxxe.

Steve Hatherly, country director at Computacenter UK, was particularly drawn to Dell’s efforts on the AI front. “At Computacenter, we have consistently demonstrated our ability to guide organisations through the execution of their AI initiatives, and Dell is a trusted partner in that journey. By combining Dell’s commitment to innovation with our technical excellence, we’re empowering customers to seize AI’s full potential,” he said.