Have you ever thought about the similarities between creating great technology and making great music? Both require a working knowledge of the tools at hand as well as a creative spirit. Great technology and great music also start with an end in mind—whether it’s solving a tricky challenge for end users or inspiring an emotional response in an audience.
The histories of music and technology are rich with examples of individual genius yet a harmonious collaboration in either field can produce greatness beyond the sum of its individual contributions. Sometimes this harmony can arise unexpectedly from the process of collaboration itself, but when each member has a role to play and value to share, collaborations can get messy. Although it’s hard to predict which collaborations will result in a harmonious synergy, a little structure in process can go a long way toward fostering a creative breakthrough.
We recently announced the next evolution of VMware Partner Connect Program, which we’re rearchitecting to help our partners transform their businesses and capitalize on the incredible opportunity in multi-cloud. As part of this transformation, I’m excited to announce the VMware Partner Innovation Studio (coming soon), a suite of programs and resources to help our partners create and commercialize great new offerings leveraging VMware technology and their own expertise.
A Digital Launchpad for Joint Solutions, VMware Partner Innovation Studio Features Three Components
The Partner Innovation Studio comprises three components:
- Solutions Lab, a guided program for channeling partner creativity into distinctive solutions through collaborative working sessions.
- Solutions Hub, a self-serve go-to-market accelerator with tools for creating solutions and driving demand via digital marketplaces.
- Validated Service Offering (VSO), which provides public confirmation that partner solutions are functionally and architecturally complete.
Taken together, these components provide a pathway to “innovation as a service,” spanning the solution development lifecycle from design (Solutions Lab) to creation (Solutions Hub) and validation (VSO)—and, eventually, to market presence through digital marketplaces.
To extend the comparison between music and technology, the Partner Innovation Studio can be likened to a recording studio:
- Solutions Lab is the artists working out the musical arrangement in studio sessions.
- Solutions Hub is the studio equipment used to record their songs.
- VSO is the label branding the completed work for marketing and distribution.
- Digital marketplaces are the streaming services that make finding and consuming great offerings easy.
Partner Innovation Studio Is a Groundbreaking Co-Innovation Incubator
With an end-to-end focus on our partners and the industry use cases they serve, the Partner Innovation Studio is a co-innovation incubator unlike any other. Partners can use the Solutions Lab and Solutions Hub to minimize their expense and risk associated with innovation and solution curation, all whilst reducing the time it takes to bring solutions to market. These factors are more important than ever for building competitive advantages in today’s IT landscape.
Given the reach of VMware’s interconnected portfolio across industries and the customer technology lifecycle, the Innovation Studio is a great way for partners to expand their managed services offerings with unique solutions. The benefits of using the Innovation Studio also extend to partners’ relationship with VMware as a vendor of choice, as partners can unlock additional incentives and enrich co-selling relationships with VMware sales teams and other VMware partners.
To learn how you can put the VMware Partner Innovation Studio to work in bringing your vision to life and to market, visit the pre-release page and contact your VMware representative or distributor.
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