New updates will be rolled out in SolarWinds' partner program throughout 2026 as the company introduces fresh sales incentives, profit opportunities, new specializations, additional training programs, and more to help its partners grow their businesses.
Under the revitalized partner program, SolarWinds said it will add new sales incentives to its partner tiers that are based on channel-initiated growth and other metrics, which will trigger higher discounts for partners. SolarWinds is also creating a "rewards center" in North America as a pilot program to allow partner sellers to accrue points toward rewards, including cash and prizes.
The company is also expanding its marketing support to channel partners as they reach higher program tiers to help them generate qualified sales leads to grow their businesses. The increased marketing includes proposal-based funding, co-brandable sales materials, and pre-built sales and marketing campaign materials and strategies that are available through the
SolarWinds partner portal.
In addition,
SolarWinds is building further on partner program updates it added one year ago by introducing a wider range of skills enablement content and partner specializations based on subject-matter expertise and on specific services. New verticals are also being added, including public sector work.
Feedback from partners over the past year has led to many of the changes,
Barb Huelskamp, vice president of global channel sales and alliances at SolarWinds, told ChannelE2E.
"Consistent themes included the need for greater clarity, stronger enablement, better tools, and more predictable benefits as partners scale their businesses," said Huelskamp. "The refreshed program is a direct response to those inputs and to our vision for the channel."
More details on the changes will be released as the new program features roll out over the year, she said.
Building on Skills Enablement for Partners
Last February, SolarWinds introduced new role-based certifications and training opportunities for its channel partners, giving them broader capabilities to grow their businesses. Now, under the latest partner program changes, the company is further expanding that curriculum with new content and additional certifications, said Huelskamp.
"And for top-tier partners, we are offering more flexible enablement options, whether that is onsite, virtual, or hybrid training, to support larger teams, align with company events, or enable broader groups more efficiently," she said. "At the same time, we are introducing new partner specializations that recognize experience, investment, and subject-matter expertise. This may include badging partners for service capabilities, vertical expertise such as public sector, or specific product and solution strengths, helping partners differentiate in the market while making it easier to match the right expertise to customer needs."
The SolarWinds partner portal will also see changes and improvements to make it easier to use, she said, including streamlined deal registration, automated lead sharing, clearer onboarding and business planning tools, and simpler access to enablement and marketing materials.
"This refresh demonstrates an intentional reset on a longstanding commitment at SolarWinds to being partner first, with differentiated benefits, requirements by tier, and investments designed to improve access to the resources partners need to be successful in their markets," said Huelskamp.
SolarWinds works with a broad range of partners globally, including MSPs, solution providers, resellers, distributors, GSIs, and others that offer managed services as part of their business models.
Effective Partner Program Updates Can Drive Business Growth: Analysts
Bill Dannenmaier, senior analyst for North America partner programs at Omdia, told ChannelE2E that it is smart for IT vendors to regularly update their partner programs to keep up with changes in the technology industry.
"It does seem like a time of change; we are seeing a bit of a boom as people consider how to update programs with AI in mind," said Dannenmaier. "I am hearing of lots of updates in cybersecurity as vendors recognize the need to be prepared for potential AI attacks."
For SolarWinds, many of its upcoming partner program changes show how the company is making these adjustments, said Dannenmaier.
"Tiered benefits indicate a partner program maturing and encouraging partners to get more involved with a vendor’s program," he said. "It encourages further channel sales, especially from partners that have already entered the program and are at a mid-tier. Omdia research indicates that over 90% of cybersecurity spend goes through the channel, so
it is important to keep partners top of mind."
The upcoming new marketing and enablement benefits will also be useful for SolarWinds partners, said Dannenmaier, giving them more opportunities to differentiate themselves from competitors.
"Overall, this update will encourage further growth from their partners that have invested somewhat in SolarWinds, but without knowing the exact details of their benefits before and what their benefits are now, it is hard to say if this will encourage more partners to join their program," he said.
Another analyst,
Jack E. Gold, president and principal analyst at J.Gold Associates, LLC, told ChannelE2E that the SolarWinds program changes will also help the company tighten its relationships with its most successful channel partners.
"There is a pretty common theme these days that MSP enablers want to shrink their commitment to lower-producing partners and add capabilities to the top-tier partners where most of their revenues come from," said Gold. "This seems like another step in that direction. It may also be an effort to get some of the lower producers to 'drop off' as they see less attention paid to them."
