Inside Partnering

Chip Rodgers

Strategies behind today’s most successful partner ecosystems. Join host Chip Rodgers for candid conversations with the leaders shaping the future of ecosystems, co-selling, and go-to-market strategy. insidepartnering.substack.com

  1. Rajiv Batra: From Industry Insight to Scalable Partner Solutions

    2D AGO

    Rajiv Batra: From Industry Insight to Scalable Partner Solutions

    For years, partnerships with global systems integrators were often viewed through a narrow lens - implementation, services, and support. Rajiv Batra challenges that assumption directly. “A lot of times when we work with GSIs… there is a notion that it’s more focused on process consulting… I will say that’s not fully true.” Instead, GSIs are increasingly central to building differentiated, industry-specific solutions. The real value is not just delivery - it is co-creation. Inside Partnering is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Start with Industry, Not Technology One of the most important shifts Rajiv describes is where solution building begins. Not with products. Not with features. But with industry patterns. “Pick an industry… focus on what exactly are the common patterns which we are seeing… the challenges our customers are facing.” GSIs bring decades of domain expertise across healthcare, financial services, manufacturing, and beyond. That knowledge becomes the foundation for building solutions that actually resonate. Google Cloud and ISV partners brings the platform and technology. GSI Partners bring the context. Together, they build something neither could deliver alone. The Blurring of ISV and SI Roles One of the most interesting dynamics in the conversation is how traditional categories are breaking down. “The lines are blurred now.” GSIs are no longer just implementers. They are building IP, assembling multi-vendor solutions, and packaging repeatable offerings. At the same time, platforms like Google Cloud are leaning heavily into ecosystem orchestration. The result is a more connected, interdependent model where: * ISVs contribute product innovation * GSIs contribute industry solutions * Platforms enable scale and distribution The differentiation comes from how well these pieces are integrated. AI Is Changing How Partnerships Operate Rajiv makes a clear distinction when talking about AI. The real transformation is not about automation. It is about moving from data to insight to value. “The real power… is not about the capture of data… that’s the starting of the journey.” This shows up in two critical areas. 1. Internal Productivity and Decision Making Rajiv describes using AI as a “chief of staff” to prioritize work, summarize information, and guide daily execution. “Gone are the days where I start my day with a cluttered inbox… today, I start my day talking to my AI chief of staff.” This is not just efficiency - it is focus. 2. Transforming Core GTM Motions More importantly, AI is reshaping how partners plan and execute together. Traditional joint business planning relied heavily on: * Account mapping * Territory alignment * Historical relationships That model is being replaced. “We have moved away from spending time on data gathering to alignment on scalable and joint solutions.” Instead of asking “where do we sell?”, the question becomes: “What solutions can we scale together?” From Pitch Decks to Live Demos Another major shift is how partners engage customers. The old model centered on presentations. The new model is experiential. “No more are the days where I’m basically getting into a meeting… nowadays, it’s not PPT… we run through the demo.” This is a meaningful change. Rather than describing value, teams are showing it in real time. And increasingly, those demos are generated dynamically using AI - tailored to specific industries, use cases, and customer challenges. Co-Sell Is Not a Standard Playbook One of the most important takeaways is how Rajiv frames co-sell with GSIs. “CoSell with GSI partners… is a very unique, tailored motion.” Why? Because GSIs are not operating at the transactional level. They are embedded with customer leadership, helping shape long-term transformation. That changes everything about how co-sell works. The motion starts with: * Deep industry segmentation * Specific problem definition * Pre-built or demo-ready solutions From there, execution becomes a three-way alignment: * Partner * Platform seller * Partner ecosystem team “There is nothing called… partner source, Google source… it’s truly about co selling to the end customer together.” Measuring What Actually Matters Measurement is another area where Rajiv pushes beyond conventional thinking. Yes, traditional metrics still matter: * Influenced revenue * Bookings * Certifications But they are not enough. “Looking at either of these in silos is actually… a wrong approach.” Instead, Google evaluates partners holistically across two dimensions: 1. Current Performance Revenue impact, pipeline, and capability 2. Future Potential Executive alignment, joint planning, and co-build initiatives The combination of both determines true partner value. The Role of Leadership in Scaling Partnerships Finally, Rajiv shares a simple but powerful philosophy for leading partner teams. “You run your business… partnership as your core business.” His focus is: * Providing data and insights * Acting as an unblocker * Helping prioritize what matters In a fast-moving environment - where partners, products, and customers are all evolving simultaneously - clarity becomes a competitive advantage. 🎙️ Inside Partnering is a podcast for ecosystem builders, alliance leaders, and the people shaping the future of partnerships. Let’s build the future of partnering - together. 📌 If you found this post helpful, would you please consider restacking it and sharing it with your audience? This spreads the word and keeps me interviewing and sharing content that will help you grow your partnership business and career. Thanks for reading Inside Partnering! This post is public so feel free to share it. 🎧 Want more conversations like this? 💌 Subscribe to get new episodes and behind-the-scenes insights: insidepartnering.substack.com Check out all 130+ episodes at InsidePartnering.com 🔗 Follow Chip on LinkedIn for daily partnership content and guest clips Know someone Chip should interview? Send a quick email. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit insidepartnering.substack.com/subscribe

    31 min
  2. Abhisheikh Lahoti & Jessica Rudy: Bringing Agentic AI into the Flow of Partner GTM

    MAR 23

    Abhisheikh Lahoti & Jessica Rudy: Bringing Agentic AI into the Flow of Partner GTM

    At AWS Global Partner Summit last week, a clear theme emerged: the next evolution of partnerships isn’t just better programs or more incentives. It’s intelligence embedded directly into partner teams’ workflows. In this episode of Inside Partnering, I spoke with Abhisheikh Lahoti, Director, AWS Marketplace and Partner Services and Jessica Rudy, Partner Experience Leader at AWS. Jessica and Lahoti help unpack what AWS is building with Partner Central Agents - and why it has the potential to fundamentally change how partners operate, sell, and scale. The Core Problem: Fragmentation Slows Everything Down For years, partners have faced a familiar challenge: * Fragmented data across systems * Siloed expertise across teams * Manual coordination across organizations As Lahoti puts it: “If you’re working across organization boundaries… fragmented data, siloed expertise, just the manual coordination… slows things down.” The result? Slower deals. Missed opportunities. And a heavy reliance on a small group of “AWS experts” inside partner organizations. Inside Partnering is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. From Bottlenecks to “Expertise on Demand” The shift AWS is making is simple in concept, but powerful in execution: Move intelligence from centralized teams into the hands of every seller. “Partners get guidance when they need… imagine you’re getting recommendations on when AWS will give you incentives.” Instead of relying on: * Deal desks * Partner ops teams * Internal experts Sales reps can now access: * Funding recommendations * Sales plays * Next-step guidance Directly inside their workflow. Whole Org Activation - Not Just Alliance Teams One of the most important ideas in the conversation is what Jessica calls “whole org activation.” Historically, partnerships have been concentrated in a small group: * Alliance leaders * Partner managers * Specialists Everyone else? They rely on second-hand knowledge. “People need the information at the moment that they need it… expecting everybody to absorb all of this… is a little untenable.” This leads to a predictable pattern: * Create enablement programs * Build internal processes * Add operational layers But those layers become bottlenecks. Agentic workflows change that by pushing intelligence directly to: * Field sellers * Account teams * Customer-facing roles Deal Velocity Becomes the North Star At the center of all of this is one metric: Deal velocity. AWS is using agents to compress what used to take weeks into minutes. “You’re actually showing up in front of customers in a much better prepared fashion… now this is possible in minutes.” That preparation includes: * Customer context and industry insights * Objection handling * Co-sell strategy * Validation criteria And it doesn’t stop there. From Static CRM Updates to Continuous Intelligence One of the more transformative capabilities discussed is how agents interact with live deal activity. “You just need to… upload that recording… it’ll automatically… add next steps… and you don’t need to go into the CRM again.” This represents a major shift: From manual CRM updates → to automated deal progression Instead of: * Logging notes * Updating stages * Coordinating internally The system: * Analyzes conversations * Identifies risks and blockers * Recommends next actions All in real time. Simplifying Complexity Without Losing Flexibility Funding programs are a great example of the tradeoff AWS is trying to solve: * Simplicity vs flexibility * Standardization vs innovation “We want it to be really simple, but… we don’t want to stop finding opportunities to fund a new strategic engagement.” Agents allow AWS to: * Maintain a complex, evolving system * While presenting a simple interface to partners That’s a critical unlock. The Bigger Vision: Expanding Beyond the Deal While much of the focus today is on pipeline and deal execution, the roadmap goes further: * Top-of-funnel campaign generation * Account planning * Personalized sales plays per lead * Partner upskilling and validation * Migration acceleration The goal? End-to-end lifecycle support. “We wanna move more upstream… account planning and driving top of funnel campaigns… at scale through agents.” Lowering the Barrier for New Partners One of the most overlooked implications is how this impacts early-stage partners. “We’re really trying to accelerate that time to activation… so that partners see value… right out of the gate.” Historically, success with AWS required: * Relationships * Experience * Institutional knowledge Now, much of that can be: * Guided * Accelerated * Embedded A Shift in How We Think About Partnerships Stepping back, this is about a shift in operating model and really transforming the partner engagement model when working with AWS. “Everything we’re trying to do is allow that convergence to happen… and make the most of that convergence.” Jessica describes this as convergence - bringing together: * Data * Teams * Systems * Workflows Without requiring rigid standardization. Final Thought For partner leaders, the takeaway is clear. AWS is delivering intelligence embedded in execution. And the organizations that adapt fastest to this model will have a significant advantage. 🎙️ Inside Partnering is a podcast for ecosystem builders, alliance leaders, and the people shaping the future of partnerships. Let’s build the future of partnering - together. 📌 If you found this post helpful, would you please consider restacking it and sharing it with your audience? This spreads the word and keeps me interviewing and sharing content that will help you grow your partnership business and career. Thanks for reading Inside Partnering! This post is public so feel free to share it. 🎧 Want more conversations like this? 💌 Subscribe to get new episodes and behind-the-scenes insights: insidepartnering.substack.com Check out all 130+ episodes at InsidePartnering.com 🔗 Follow Chip on LinkedIn for daily partnership content and guest clips Know someone Chip should interview? Send a quick email. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit insidepartnering.substack.com/subscribe

    35 min
  3. Shobana Shankar: Inside Google Cloud’s Playbook for ISV Partnerships

    MAR 6

    Shobana Shankar: Inside Google Cloud’s Playbook for ISV Partnerships

    Partnerships have always been important in enterprise technology. But according to Shobana Shankar, Head of ISV Sales for Data Analytics at Google Cloud, they are no longer optional. Partnerships are foundational to how modern cloud platforms deliver value to customers. In this episode of Inside Partnering, Shankar shares how Google Cloud approaches ISV partnerships - from joint business planning and co-sell execution to the role of marketplace and AI in shaping the next generation of ecosystems. Her message is clear. Partnerships are evolving from opportunistic relationships to deeply integrated go-to-market motions. Inside Partnering is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. From “Partners, Who?” to Embedded in Every Account Plan Shankar joined Google Cloud about eight years ago after spending a decade working in the Cisco ecosystem. At the time, cloud partnerships were still early. “I remember talking to sales teams and we were like, partners, who? It was so early at that time for cloud to be thinking about partners.” Today, the picture is very different. Partners are now embedded in Google Cloud’s sales and account planning processes. “Partners are absolutely ingrained in every single account plan and business plan that our direct sellers have.” That shift required more than enthusiasm for partnerships. It required structure. Partner programs, incentives, and enablement have become the mechanism that transforms the intent to partner into a repeatable system. The Three Pillars of a Successful ISV Partnership Shankar describes Google Cloud’s ISV partnerships through three core motions. * Co-build * Co-marketing * Co-sell Each ISV partnership includes a joint business plan that outlines how those three pillars will work together. “There has to be the co build, there has to be the co marketing, and there has to be a co sell.” The goal is to create solutions that neither company could deliver alone. “We’re always with ISVs chasing that better together story. What is that 1 plus 1 equals 3?” When the partnership works, the combined solution solves a customer problem more effectively than either product independently. That outcome becomes the North Star for the partnership. Quality Over Quantity in the Partner Ecosystem One of the challenges of ecosystem strategy is deciding how broadly to expand the partner base. Shankar says Google Cloud has become more selective. “Our core focus is going deeper with a more select group of partners where we can have a material impact.” That does not mean ignoring innovation. In fast-moving areas like AI, new partners are constantly emerging. The strategy is to balance structure with agility. Google Cloud supports established partners while remaining ready to identify emerging companies that may become key ecosystem players. Marketplace as a Strategic Differentiator One of the most interesting shifts Shankar describes is how Google Cloud thinks about marketplace. Marketplace is no longer viewed simply as a transaction layer. “We don’t want marketplace to be a transaction vehicle anymore. We want it to be a strategic differentiator.” That shift changes how partnerships are structured. Joint business plans increasingly focus on how Google Cloud can help partners: * accelerate deals * increase deal size * source new opportunities Shankar’s team now has compensation tied to generating opportunities for ISV partners. “My team’s compensation has a component where they have a target to source opportunity for our ISVs.” In other words, the hyperscaler is expected to actively help drive partner revenue. The Evolution of the Partner Sales Role One of the biggest changes in Google Cloud’s ISV organization is how the partner sales team is built. Early on, the team hired primarily for alliance experience. That has evolved. “Our hiring has evolved significantly. Hire for folks with direct sales acumen and individuals who have that hunter mentality.” The reason is simple. Co-selling effectively requires understanding how sales leaders think. Shankar believes partner specialists should operate almost like embedded members of the ISV sales organization. “The CRO of the ISV should tap into the specialist on my team as someone who works for their company with a google.com domain.” That level of alignment requires people who understand pipeline generation, deal cycles, and revenue goals. Measuring Partner Success Revenue remains a critical metric, but Shankar emphasizes that partner success must be measured across the entire lifecycle. Google Cloud tracks both leading and lagging indicators. Examples include: * marketplace revenue * Google-sourced opportunities * pipeline generation * account mapping and engagement * marketing activity * joint demos and specializations Pipeline health is especially important. “We definitely think about having the 3x pipeline at a minimum for ISVs.” Quality matters just as much as quantity. Pipeline must reflect real opportunities where the joint value proposition resonates with customers. The Impact of AI on the Ecosystem AI is accelerating both innovation and partnership. In many cases, hyperscalers and ISVs may overlap in capabilities. But Shankar sees that dynamic as a natural part of modern ecosystems. “Sometimes we compete and sometimes we complement, but regardless… gone are the days for us to think about one solution from one company can solve all of customers.” The reality of AI is that no single vendor can solve every problem. Partnership becomes the mechanism for delivering integrated solutions. The Era of Deep Partnerships Shankar believes the industry has entered a new phase. Partnerships are no longer optional go-to-market experiments. They are central to how technology companies succeed. “We are in the era of deep, authentic partnerships. It’s not just a strategy anymore. It is a fundamental necessity for success.” For partner leaders building ecosystems today, that may be the most important takeaway. The future of technology innovation will not be built by single companies. It will be built by ecosystems. 🎙️ Inside Partnering is a podcast for ecosystem builders, alliance leaders, and the people shaping the future of partnerships. Let’s build the future of partnering - together. 📌 If you found this post helpful, would you please consider restacking it and sharing it with your audience? This spreads the word and keeps me interviewing and sharing content that will help you grow your partnership business and career. Thanks for reading Inside Partnering! This post is public so feel free to share it. 🎧 Want more conversations like this? 💌 Subscribe to get new episodes and behind-the-scenes insights: insidepartnering.substack.com Check out all 130+ episodes at InsidePartnering.com 🔗 Follow Chip on LinkedIn for daily partnership content and guest clips Know someone Chip should interview? Send a quick email. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit insidepartnering.substack.com/subscribe

    31 min
  4. Erica Hakonson: The Hidden Work Behind Successful Co-Sell

    FEB 10

    Erica Hakonson: The Hidden Work Behind Successful Co-Sell

    One of the clearest themes from this conversation with Erica Hakonson is that partner strategy has to reflect where a company actually is in its lifecycle. Too many organizations copy a partner model that worked for someone else, without asking whether it fits their own stage, resources, or goals. Erica has lived this from multiple angles - advising partners inside the Microsoft ecosystem, running Maven Collective Marketing, and even founding her own ISV. “It really depends on what stage in your journey as a company you are.” For mature companies introducing a new product or service line, Erica recommends a controlled, pilot-style approach. A small number of well-chosen partners, deeply enabled, can tell you whether the model works before you scale it. Inside Partnering is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Startups face a very different reality. “From my perspective as a founder where we came with no partners and bootstrapped funding, it was the name of the game was how many partners can we get?” In that scenario, partners also function as marketing, air cover, and credibility. Volume matters early, with refinement coming later once patterns emerge. Why the Second Deal Matters More Than the First A recurring insight in this episode is that partner success is not defined by the first transaction. First deals can be accidental. Repeatability is what signals a real motion. “Getting that first sale is great but can be a fluke. It’s getting to that second sale that really means, okay, now we’re cooking.” That second deal proves several things at once - that sellers understand what they are selling, that incentives are aligned, and that the partner sees ongoing value. Without that, partner programs stall quietly, even if the pipeline looks healthy on paper. This is where enablement, compensation, and internal support intersect. Technical certification alone is not enough if sellers are neither confident nor motivated. “You could have someone technically trained inside of these partner organizations, but if the sellers don’t know what they’re selling and they’re not incentivized to sell, you’re going to have technically trained individuals and nobody’s selling.” Co-Sell Only Works When You Align to the Platform When the conversation turns to Microsoft co-sell, Erica emphasizes alignment over tactics. Partners that perform well are not guessing at Microsoft priorities - they are mapping directly to them. “It’s really just aligning year after year with what are Microsoft’s priorities, how are we aligning our solution playbook with their solution playbook.” Marketplace has become central to this alignment, especially as Microsoft increasingly expects transactions and quota retirement to happen there. “There’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that Microsoft wants to be a marketplace.” What has changed is not just visibility, but incentives. Field sellers can now retire quota through marketplace transactions, which fundamentally alters behavior. “The fact that they can retire quota in marketplace is a game changer.” For partners, this raises the bar on readiness. Listings, co-sell materials, customer stories, and transactability are no longer optional hygiene - they are how partners get discovered when a seller does not already know them. Making It Easy for the Field to Choose You Microsoft sellers are overloaded. Erica is blunt about what cuts through the noise. “Sellers are going to pay attention to the things that help them retire quota.” The partners who earn repeat introductions are the ones who reduce risk for the field. That means clear proof points, repeat wins, and disciplined communication. “If we have partners that are continually showing us they’re winning in this industry or they’re winning in this workload, we as leaders will share that out to our team.” Win wires, case studies, and consistent updates are not busywork - they are signals of reliability. The goal is simple: make it easy for a seller to say yes without fear of a bad introduction. Incentives Matter - But Only If You Understand Them Microsoft incentives evolve constantly, and Erica acknowledges how difficult they are to track. “They’re novels.” Still, she is clear that partners who invest in understanding incentives outperform those who ignore them. Whether it is AI readiness, marketplace transactability, or workload-specific funding, incentives shape behavior across sellers, partners, and customers. The challenge is operational. Partner Center is complex, and many organizations under-resource it. “It’s worthwhile to invest in someone that can navigate you through that because there’s plenty of incentives, plenty of funding that’s happening.” Measurement That Drives the Right Behavior Finally, Erica returns to measurement - not as a reporting exercise, but as a lever for growth. Marketplace performance, listing decay, and engagement metrics now require ongoing attention as the platform evolves. But one metric stands out above the rest. “What’s the opportunity to land and expand?” Tracking how partners and customers move from one workload to the next creates a clear expansion roadmap. When sales teams understand how that expansion translates into revenue, behavior follows. “If they can translate that product or that service into, ‘Hey, this makes you more money,’ generally the sales team is right on board.” Partner programs succeed when strategy, incentives, enablement, and measurement reinforce each other. This episode offers a grounded look at what that actually requires. 🎙️ Inside Partnering is a podcast for ecosystem builders, alliance leaders, and the people shaping the future of partnerships. Let’s build the future of partnering - together. 📌 If you found this post helpful, would you please consider restacking it and sharing it with your audience? This spreads the word and keeps me interviewing and sharing content that will help you grow your partnership business and career. Thanks for reading Inside Partnering! This post is public so feel free to share it. 🎧 Want more conversations like this? 💌 Subscribe to get new episodes and behind-the-scenes insights: insidepartnering.substack.com Check out all 130+ episodes at InsidePartnering.com 🔗 Follow Chip on LinkedIn for daily partnership content and guest clips Know someone Chip should interview? Send a quick email. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit insidepartnering.substack.com/subscribe

    35 min
  5. Jen Dawson: Clarity, Momentum, and the Path to Scale with AWS

    FEB 3

    Jen Dawson: Clarity, Momentum, and the Path to Scale with AWS

    Partner-led growth often looks simple from the outside. List on marketplace. Enable co-sell. Build a better together story. But in practice, many ISVs stall long before they see predictable results. In this episode of Inside Partnering, Jen Dawson, Founder and CEO of SaaSNova, explains why. After years working inside AWS and supporting nearly a hundred ISVs, she has seen the same pattern repeat itself. Strong products. Serious ambition. But no clear path to predictable GTM. “What I kept seeing across founders is they had strong products, but they didn’t have a very clear path to predictable GTM.” That realization is what led Jen to start SaaSNova - not as a strategy consultancy, but as an execution-focused operating model for AWS Marketplace and co-sell. Inside Partnering is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. AWS Is an Amplification Engine, Not a Safety Net One of the most important reframes Jen offers is how founders should think about AWS itself. Many assume AWS will generate demand if they simply onboard correctly. In reality, the relationship works very differently. “AWS is not the lead gen engine. It’s an amplification engine.” AWS sellers lean in when ISVs show momentum. Clear ICP. Clear value. Active deals. Without those signals, even well-built offerings struggle to gain field attention. This is especially true given the scale of AWS. “AWS is massive. Thousands of sellers. Lots of moving parts.” For ISVs, that scale means simplicity and clarity matter far more than depth or volume. Why the Better Together Story Comes First Jen repeatedly comes back to the importance of joint messaging - not as a marketing exercise, but as the foundation of execution. “The better together messaging becomes the foundation of all GTM programs.” She breaks this into layers: * First, the ISV’s own product story * Second, how that story maps to AWS priorities * Third, how channel or services partners fit into the motion Each layer builds on the previous one. Without that structure, campaigns, pitches, and field enablement break down. The key question every version of the message must answer is the same: Who is this for, and why does it matter right now? Marketplace Is the Route Sellers Prefer From the field’s perspective, AWS Marketplace simplifies everything. Procurement. Alignment. Incentives. “AWS sellers love marketplace because it removes procurement friction for their customers.” Jen emphasizes starting small. Early private offers create momentum and internal proof. Over time, those deals expand into broader CPPO and co-sell motions. Marketplace also plays a critical role for cross-border ISVs trying to establish credibility in the US market. “Making sure you have a marketplace-ready offer so the AWS teams can really lean in.” What Actually Gets Field Attention AWS sellers are not persuaded by long decks or generic positioning. They respond to clarity and quantified impact. “AWS teams are very data driven.” ISVs that can articulate outcomes in concrete terms - time saved, cost reduced, migration accelerated - are far easier for sellers to champion. Jen also points out that products which drive AWS consumption or workload stickiness naturally rise in priority. “If the ISV really increases compute, storage, or keeps workloads on AWS, they become strategically important.” Channel Partners as a Force Multiplier For ISVs focused on scale, channel partners are not optional. “The channel partner adds the acceleration. They add the scale.” Resellers and consulting partners bring reach, relationships, and field capacity that ISVs rarely have on their own. When aligned correctly with AWS motions like CPPO, they significantly extend an ISV’s effective footprint. The Metrics That Signal Seriousness Jen outlines four categories of KPIs that matter most when building credibility with AWS: “Marketplace KPIs. Co-sell KPIs. Adoption and consumption KPIs. Partner program KPIs.” These metrics show not just activity, but execution readiness. They tell AWS that the ISV is aligned, disciplined, and capable of scaling. The Reality of Strategic Collaboration Agreements SCAs are often viewed as the end goal. Jen offers a grounded perspective. “The SCA only works when both sides agree on revenue targets, pipeline targets, and execution.” SCAs require real commitment, executive alignment, and the ability to execute against a joint business plan. They are rare for a reason. “When the ISV shows up with clarity and readiness, that’s when AWS shows up with scale.” Closing Thought This conversation reinforces a simple truth: partner-led growth does not fail because of partnerships. It fails because execution lags intent. “Make it easy for AWS to help you.” For experienced partner leaders, that advice is not simplistic - it is operational. 🎙️ Inside Partnering is a podcast for ecosystem builders, alliance leaders, and the people shaping the future of partnerships. Let’s build the future of partnering - together. 📌 If you found this post helpful, would you please consider restacking it and sharing it with your audience? This spreads the word and keeps me interviewing and sharing content that will help you grow your partnership business and career. Thanks for reading Inside Partnering! This post is public so feel free to share it. 🎧 Want more conversations like this? 💌 Subscribe to get new episodes and behind-the-scenes insights: insidepartnering.substack.com Check out all 130+ episodes at InsidePartnering.com 🔗 Follow Chip on LinkedIn for daily partnership content and guest clips Know someone Chip should interview? Send a quick email. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit insidepartnering.substack.com/subscribe

    26 min
  6. Grant de Leeuw: Building Global GTM from Day One with AWS Marketplace

    JAN 28

    Grant de Leeuw: Building Global GTM from Day One with AWS Marketplace

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit insidepartnering.substack.com From the earliest days of DataMasque, Grant de Leeuw made a deliberate choice - this would not be a lightweight SaaS tool chasing fast adoption. The company was built to serve large, regulated enterprises where data privacy, security, and usability collide. Grant framed the problem clearly. Enterprises need to use real customer data internally for development, testing, analytics, and increasingly AI. But regulation and security controls make that data difficult to use safely. “Organizations need to leverage their customer data for their own internal purposes… but because of the regulation and security privacy around some of their most important data, they actually really struggle to leverage it internally.” DataMasque was created to solve that tension by enabling what Grant calls high-fidelity synthetic data - data that is de-identified, but still behaves exactly like production data across systems. Inside Partnering is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Why Usability Matters More Than Perfect Security A recurring theme in the conversation was that many existing solutions over-index on security at the expense of usefulness. According to Grant, that tradeoff creates downstream problems. “While they will remove the sensitivity of the data, they’re actually effectively trashing the usability.” Engineering and product teams need messy, imperfect data to test real-world edge cases. When lower environments are populated with overly clean or unrealistic data, systems often pass through test and QA, but fail in production. “The messiness of production has to be replicated into these lower environments… otherwise you roll it into production and everything breaks.” DataMasque’s approach focuses on masking at the field level while preserving relationships across systems, ensuring consistency even in complex, multi-application environments. The Hidden Risk of Non-Production Environments Grant highlighted a risk that many organizations underestimate - the size and exposure of non-production data. “Seventy to eighty percent of an organization’s data footprint can be non-production.” These environments often have weaker governance and broader access, making them a frequent source of breaches. For DataMasque, this reinforced the need to secure data where it is most widely used, not just where it originates. Choosing AWS Marketplace as a Core GTM Strategy Based in New Zealand, DataMasque faced a structural challenge. Their ideal customers were global enterprises, but building a traditional overseas sales presence was cost-prohibitive. AWS Marketplace became the answer - initially almost by accident. “I came out of the meeting going, I assume this is what everyone’s buying off Marketplace.” The early days were slow, but momentum built through a combination of co-build, co-marketing, and co-selling motions. A customer case study and an AWS-authored blog post marked the inflection point. “Suddenly it was like we had the co-build, then the co-marketing started to happen… and the flywheel started to turn.” Marketplace enabled DataMasque to transact globally without a US entity or local bank accounts, dramatically lowering the cost of international expansion. “We could actually do this all from here and done it in an extremely cost effective manner.”

    17 min
  7. Charlie Pagliazzo: Building a $500M+ Channel Engine at Granite Telecommunications

    JAN 16

    Charlie Pagliazzo: Building a $500M+ Channel Engine at Granite Telecommunications

    Granite Telecommunications is a nearly $2B business serving multi-location enterprises and government customers across the U.S. and Canada. But if you listen closely to Charlie Pagliazzo, Vice President of Channels, the story of Granite’s growth does not start with revenue. It starts with partners. Charlie has been at Granite for more than two decades, including building the channel organization from scratch. What began as a one-person effort has grown into an 80+ person channels team supporting more than 800 active selling partners delivering over $500M of that total ARR number. That scale did not happen by accident. “We look at our partners as our customers. Without their success, we don’t have any success.” That philosophy shows up in how Granite structures its teams, invests in enablement, and evaluates ROI across the entire partner lifecycle. Inside Partnering is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Scaling a channel without losing focus One of the most striking aspects of the conversation is how deliberate Charlie is about scale. Granite’s channel organization is large, but it is not generic. Roles are segmented by partner type, solution expertise, and regional coverage. “Partnerships are about ROI - but not just dollars spent. It’s human resource spend as well. How are our people spending their time, and who are they spending it with?” ROI, in Charlie’s view, is not just a finance exercise. It is a discipline that forces focus. Which partners are aligned. Where Granite can truly add value. And where deep expertise - not just broad coverage - makes the difference. This is especially important in a channel ecosystem that includes individual agents, large VARs, MSPs, distributors, and mobility-focused specialists. Each partner operates differently, and Granite adapts its engagement model accordingly. The evolution of the network business Granite’s roots were in simplifying telecom complexity - aggregating disparate copper-based services into a single billing and service platform. That model fueled early growth, but the industry has changed dramatically. Copper is being retired. Networks are converging. UCaaS, CCaaS, SD-WAN, 5G, fiber, and edge computing are now table stakes. And AI is putting unprecedented pressure on bandwidth, latency, and security. “AI is impacting every facet of the business. The need for throughput and bandwidth is putting real pressure on end users.” Charlie makes it clear that these changes are not abstract trends. They directly affect how partners sell, how customers buy, and how Granite builds solutions. The company has responded by developing proprietary offerings, including patented POTS replacement solutions, while also aggregating best-of-breed providers across mobility, networking, and security. Collaboration as a competitive advantage A recurring theme throughout the discussion is collaboration. Granite does not position itself as the single answer to every problem. Instead, it acts as an orchestrator - combining its own network and platforms with a broad ecosystem of underlying providers. “The whole ecosystem requires partnership. We want to make sure partners see all the different things available to take to market.” This approach gives partners flexibility while still benefiting from Granite’s scale. Volume matters. Granite’s purchasing power and critical mass translate into leverage with underlying carriers and technology providers - leverage that partners can bring to their customers. Measuring partner performance beyond revenue Revenue matters, but it is not the only metric that counts. Charlie describes a performance framework that looks at engagement, responsiveness, and mutual investment. “If we’re providing training, marketing, and expertise, what’s coming back? It has to be a win-win that leads to an end-user purchase.” Granite aligns partner-facing roles around relationship management, solution expertise, and specialized vertical or solution focus. That structure allows the team to stay close to partner needs while still maintaining accountability. M&A, private equity, and channel disruption The channel landscape is changing fast. Private equity and venture capital are reshaping partner organizations, driving consolidation and new competitive dynamics. Charlie views this influx of capital as both an opportunity and a risk. “Capital allows for growth and innovation. But we can’t lose sight of why this industry grew in the first place - taking care of the customer.” Some partners are building at scale through acquisition. Others are choosing to remain independent and differentiate through expertise and service. Granite works with both, but the underlying principle stays the same - customer outcomes come first. Why AI makes the channel more relevant, not less Rather than disintermediating partners, AI is increasing their importance. As customer environments become more complex, the need for consultative guidance grows. “AI and bandwidth-driven demands create a myriad of opportunities for partners to have better conversations with end users.” From real-time analytics to customer experience optimization, the network is now a strategic asset. Partners who understand that shift are well positioned. Granite’s role is to give them the tools, infrastructure, and support to deliver. Looking ahead Granite is privately held, which gives it freedom to play the long game. Charlie is optimistic about the future, but grounded in execution. “We’re not beholden to anyone but our customers and ourselves. What do they need, and how can we get it for them?” For partner leaders navigating rapid change, this conversation is a reminder that fundamentals still matter - trust, ROI discipline, and relentless focus on customer value. 🎙️ Inside Partnering is a podcast for ecosystem builders, alliance leaders, and the people shaping the future of partnerships. Let’s build the future of partnering - together. 📌 If you found this post helpful, would you please consider restacking it and sharing it with your audience? This spreads the word and keeps me interviewing and sharing content that will help you grow your partnership business and career. Thanks for reading Inside Partnering! This post is public so feel free to share it. 🎧 Want more conversations like this? 💌 Subscribe to get new episodes and behind-the-scenes insights: insidepartnering.substack.com Check out all 130+ episodes at InsidePartnering.com 🔗 Follow Chip on LinkedIn for daily partnership content and guest clips Know someone Chip should interview? Send a quick email. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit insidepartnering.substack.com/subscribe

    28 min
  8. Masooma Naqvi: Co-Building the Future of Enterprise IT with AWS

    JAN 13

    Masooma Naqvi: Co-Building the Future of Enterprise IT with AWS

    At AWS re:Invent in Las Vegas, I had the chance to catch up with Masooma Naqvi, Vice President of Digital Services at HP, to talk about one of the most pressing challenges facing enterprises today - managing increasingly complex IT environments while still delivering exceptional employee experiences. The shift from office-first to remote, hybrid, and now partial return-to-office has permanently raised expectations. Employees expect technology to work seamlessly wherever they are, while IT leaders are under constant pressure to control costs and reduce downtime. “The only thing that’s consistent besides change is that employee expectations keep getting higher and higher on the tools they need to get work done.” Masooma’s role sits right at the intersection of those pressures. Inside Partnering is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Inside HP’s Workforce Experience Platform At the center of HP’s digital services portfolio is its Workforce Experience Platform (WXP). The platform spans device telemetry, collaboration tools, network data, and application insights to help IT teams understand what is happening across their entire estate. “It is really geared toward fleet management of the IT estate - PCs, printers, collaboration equipment, the network - and how we can proactively identify issues and remediate them.” The goal is not visibility for visibility’s sake. It is about proactive action - identifying issues before they impact productivity and resolving them automatically where possible. AI as Interface and Intelligence Engine Masooma described two distinct ways HP applies AI inside WXP. First, AI acts as the conversational interface. CIOs and help desk teams can ask natural-language questions about cost drivers, recurring incidents, and optimization opportunities. “We use AI as the conversational interface of the platform so CIOs and help desk agents can quickly understand where the biggest issues and costs are.” Second, AI works behind the scenes, analyzing massive volumes of telemetry data across devices to predict and prevent failures. “That’s where AI becomes really powerful - using machine learning and inference to proactively solve issues before they happen.” Predictive Self-Healing at Scale One of the most compelling outcomes of this approach is predictive self-healing. By working with Amazon Web Services and Amazon Bedrock, HP can anticipate recurring issues and deploy fixes automatically. “We can not only identify that an issue might reemerge, but tell you what the appropriate fix is - and in some cases deploy that fix on your behalf.” The impact is measurable - less downtime, lower help desk costs, and better employee experiences across distributed environments. A Platform Built for Partners A recurring theme in the conversation was HP’s partner-first mindset. WXP is designed not just for direct enterprise customers, but also for MSPs and GSIs who wrap their own services and tooling around the platform. “For our partners, we give them these tools so they can wrap services or incremental value around it and better serve their customers.” This approach allows HP to scale across enterprise, mid-market, and SMB segments without relying on heavy customization. What Customers Are Asking for at re:Invent Like nearly every conversation at re:Invent, AI dominated customer discussions - but with a more practical tone than in previous years. “It’s not just a technology anymore. Customers are asking what AI is actually doing for them in terms of optimization and understanding.” Masooma noted a visible shift from proof-of-concepts to real, production-ready solutions across the expo floor, reflecting faster development cycles and maturing AI platforms. Co-Building With Amazon HP’s partnership with AWS spans co-build, co-market, and co-innovation. Beyond using Amazon tools to accelerate development, HP actively feeds enterprise-scale requirements back into Amazon product teams. “Many of the requirements we have around predictive analytics have come from us into the Bedrock team to say we have to be able to solve these problems.” The collaboration also extends into sovereign data initiatives, particularly for European customers with strict data residency requirements. Product Leadership at Ecosystem Scale As a product leader, Masooma plays a critical role in translating customer and partner needs into platform-level capabilities that can scale globally. “We want to build for scale. We don’t want to do a lot of custom work.” That philosophy mirrors AWS’s own approach and helps explain why the partnership continues to deepen. Final Takeaway This conversation is a clear reminder that successful AI strategies are no longer about experimentation alone. They are about operationalizing intelligence, embedding it into platforms, and enabling partners to deliver measurable outcomes at scale. 🎙️ Inside Partnering is a podcast for ecosystem builders, alliance leaders, and the people shaping the future of partnerships. Let’s build the future of partnering - together. 📌 If you found this post helpful, would you please consider restacking it and sharing it with your audience? This spreads the word and keeps me interviewing and sharing content that will help you grow your partnership business and career. Thanks for reading Inside Partnering! This post is public so feel free to share it. 🎧 Want more conversations like this? 💌 Subscribe to get new episodes and behind-the-scenes insights: insidepartnering.substack.com Check out all 130+ episodes at InsidePartnering.com 🔗 Follow Chip on LinkedIn for daily partnership content and guest clips Know someone Chip should interview? Send a quick email. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit insidepartnering.substack.com/subscribe

    11 min
See All (56)

About

Strategies behind today’s most successful partner ecosystems. Join host Chip Rodgers for candid conversations with the leaders shaping the future of ecosystems, co-selling, and go-to-market strategy. insidepartnering.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Chip Rodgers
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    56
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Chip Rodgers
  • Show Website
    Inside Partnering