HP's PartnerOne program to be rebooted in break-up

HP has revealed how its massive PartnerOne program will be re-tasked for its separated future, while also announcing a major simplification around enterprise certifications.

HP will start operating as two distinct companies – Hewlett-Packard Enterprise and HP Inc – from 1 August, the regulatory 90 days before the official separation on 1 November.

The two companies will each have their own partner program, breaking away from the overarching PartnerOne strategy, which was relaunched to great fanfare in 2013.

The PartnerOne Alliance will exist as a bridge between the two $56 billion businesses, allowing partners to cross-sell and providing reference architectures.

HP Inc's program will be called 'Partner First', while the other program will be HP Enterprise 'Partner Ready'.

One message the vendor is hoping to communicate to the roughly 2,000 partners attending the Global Partner Conference in Las Vegas is that any investment that resellers put toward certification will carry forward through the split.

The separation into two programs will be somewhat cosmetic - the essential structure of each program will remain the same.

Patrick Eitenbichler, director of marketing, PartnerOne Strategy, in the HP Enterprise Group, said: "There is nothing wrong with the structure. The program will continue in both Hewlett-Packard Enterprise and HP Inc under different names. HP Inc and HP Enterprise will have their own names for their partner programs."

Currently, the HP Printing & Personal Systems (PPS) program is solely revenue based, while the Enterprise Group also has competency-based accreditations.

HP Inc, the new consumer business, will adopt the value competencies, putting the two programs on equal footing. Both programs will have silver, gold and platinum tiers.

The vendor will also simplify its certifications. Starting 1 November, its current Enterprise Group product-focused certifications will be replaced with a single sales badge.

Instead of requiring partners to get accredited across multiple product lines, there will be a single general certification, and individuals can accrue points through additional specialist study, a bit like elective subjects in a university degree.

Steven Kiernan is a guest of HP at the Global Partner Conference