Riverbed launched Riverbed Rise, a new channel partner program that aligns with the changing IT landscape and how partners are evolving to solve their customers’ technology needs.

With the new program, Riverbed is moving away from a traditional, compliance-based program with rewards tied to certifications and revenue that needed heavy up-front and ongoing investment by partners to maintain compliance and tier status, and shifting to a new performance-based program that is designed to reward all types of partners, business models and various customer technology consumption preferences.

The changes to the Riverbed partner program are aligned to Riverbed’s new sales strategy, works more closely with partners to acquire new customers, and drive account penetration with new technologies and flexible consumption models. To support this new sales strategy, Riverbed will work with partners to focus on Riverbed’s new and existing enterprise and public sector sales accounts and the newly expanded commercial segment customers.

To lead these changes, Riverbed recently welcomed Bridget Bisnette as VP, Global Channels and Commercial Sales. Bisnette is responsible for global channel strategy and synchronizing Riverbed’s efforts through the channel, managing the partner program, focusing on enablement to drive partner productivity and integrating them into the commercial sales motions. For over 30 years, Bisnette has held a wide range of global roles in the IT industry, at companies such as Cisco Systems, Standard Micro Systems, and AST Computers. At Cisco Systems, she held leadership roles in areas such as Enterprise Vertical Partnerships, Commercial Alliances, Channels Marketing Programs and Channel Certification.

“I am pleased to join Riverbed at such an exciting time in the industry and in the history of the company. It’s been a very exciting six months as we solidified the commercial expansion and evolved Riverbed’s channel strategy and partner experience,” said Bisnette. “The transformation in the IT industry is being affected by changing customer expectations. Business models, sales processes and certification models, among many other things, are being impacted. This is going to be a very good thing for our industry because it shifts the focus to customer success and customer lifetime value. With the launch of Riverbed Rise and other key enhancements to our partner experience, Riverbed is poised to lead this change and deliver mutual success with partners.”

Bisnette and the Riverbed channel organization has focused on delivering a new partner experience in 2018 with the launch of Riverbed Rise that includes the new program, a new partner portal, more robust marketing tools with dedicated partner social channels, revamped programs and simplified discounting schedules. In addition, the expansion of the commercial segment was successfully piloted in the second half of last year in the United States, and has now been fully launched.

Riverbed Rise is built on simplicity, flexibility and profitability for partners. It simplifies how partners achieve and continue to maintain their status. The program uniquely adapts to multiple business models and partners' needs. More importantly, it rewards achievement across key strategic activities and joint sales priorities. Partners began earning benefits effective January 2, and will remain at their current program level until the end of July, with the full implementation of Riverbed Rise beginning in August.

This year Riverbed partners will convene at the Riverbed Partner Summit in Huntington Beach, California beginning April 30, 2018 to discuss opportunities to drive more business and accelerate customer success in a cloud and digital world.