Partnering with Hitachi Vantara is trusted, profitable and sustainable—a commitment that’s more important than ever as customers tackle the growing and complex challenges of Gen AI, exploding data volumes, and cyber resiliency, according to Kimberly King, SVP, Strategic Partners & Alliances and Greg Bucyk, VP Global Strategy, GTM & Strategic Alliances at Hitachi Vantara in this new CRNtv sponsored video AI-Driven Success: Insights from Hitachi Vantara.
“We keep it simple,” says King. “Our core tenant is to put partners first.”
Hitachi Vantara is Easier to Do Business With
Over the last year, Hitachi Vantara has focused intently on making it easier for partners to do business with the company. In the video, King acknowledges that pricing is always a challenge for partners, and in response, Hitachi Vantara developed an intelligent pricing strategy that allows partners to gain immediate access to street-level pricing. More than 85% of quotes are approved within four hours, she says.
eLearning and compliance training requirements have been reduced by 30%, so partners can focus on being in front of their customers selling and supporting Hitachi Vantara ssolutions with confidence. The foundation of that simplicity are the products themselves. The same operating powers all data services for Hitachi VSP hybrid cloud solutions, which reduces education and training needs.
Partners See Profitable Growth
A partner-first focus is paying off as Hitachi Vantara’s global partner network saw a 106% increase in attributable operating profit, alongside a 38% year-over-year revenue growth in the company’s Q1 of 2024 (ending in June). “Partners are seeing huge gains in profitability,” says King. “Partners continue to trust us with their customers.”
King says the growth was driven in large part by the strong adoption of Hitachi Vantara VSP One, a unified, hybrid cloud data platform designed for Block, File, and SDS Cloud storage. VSP One is built for unmatched scale, reliability, and performance, enabling partners to help their customers to transform data into better customer experiences, optimized processes, and increased profitability.
Hitachi Vantara takes clear steps to help partners grow their businesses profitably. “We have robust rules of engagement with a deal registration system,” she says. “We don’t have 15 partners competing for the same business and driving margins down. Partner profitability is important to us.”
King notes another unsung advantage: Counting on Hitachi Vantara to deliver the products that customers buy. “Our fulfillment of products is world-class,” she says. “We always seem to find a way to get the product to the customer, and knowing that time is money, this has a real positive impact on the partner.”
Data Infrastructure is a Big Opportunity
One recent survey found that businesses expect the amount of data they use to double between 2023 and 2025. The report also found that six in 10 business leaders are overwhelmed by the amount of data they store, and 75% are concerned that their current infrastructure will be unable to scale.
Helping organizations navigate that complexity and build a scalable, efficient, and secure data infrastructure is a big opportunity for partners.
King has previously said that it’s “all gas and no brakes for partner growth” and she reaffirms that commitment going into 2025. “We won’t be letting up on the gas pedal, as we know success comes through working with partners.”