Enabling Partners to develop new Capabilities through Flexibility, Insights, and Support

Swapna Bapat
Vice President & Managing Director, India and SAARC, Palo Alto Networks

Palo Alto Networks is focused on helping partners adopt and build value around emerging technologies. Through its NextWave and Technology Partner Programs, the company provides partners with deep access to open, API-driven platforms. Palo Alto Networks wants partners to do more than just resell, which would in turn help them unlock new markets and drive recurring revenue.  

At Palo Alto Networks, our channel strategy has always focused on shared success and ensuring that as we grow, our partners grow with us. With technology rapidly changing, we believe that the most effective channel policies are the ones that strike a balance between long-term business goals and our partner’s priorities. We recognize that our partners, whether a global system integrator, MSSP or VAR, are adapting to the same market forces that are transforming our customers like cloud, AI and identity. This means that our channel model must evolve in lockstep — giving partners the flexibility, insights, and support they need to build new capabilities around cloud, AI, and security outcomes. Ensuring that our programs, incentives, and tools are enabling partners to grow profitably while driving meaningful business outcomes for customers is the main priority.

NEW INVESTMENTS & REVAMP
As our next-generation security portfolio expands across areas like SASE, Cortex and AI-powered SOC transformation, we are revamping our NextWave Partner Program to better align partner capabilities. The upcoming enhancements will simplify processes, offer greater access, flexibility, benefits, training, and funding for programs.
We are investing in better experiences for our partners with faster response time for approvals, clearer visibility & better enablement. The idea is to make every interaction with PANW easier and more rewarding. When partners know we’re invested in their success, loyalty follows naturally.

NEW TECH ADOPTION
We are equally focused on helping partners adopt and build value around emerging technologies. Through our NextWave and Technology Partner Programs, we provide partners with deep access to open, API-driven platforms, enabling them to build intelligent, interoperable solutions that address everything from network and cloud security to AI-powered operations. By giving partners access to modules like Cortex XDR, Prisma Cloud, SASE, we enable them to embrace AI, automation, cloud-native operations, and emerging security paradigms. We want them to do more than just resell ─ to embed, consult, integrate and deliver value to customers, which would in turn help them unlock new markets and drive recurring revenue. 

THE WAY FORWARD
As we look ahead, Palo Alto Networks is moving decisively towards a platform driven, AI-first future, and our partners are central to this journey. Our aim is to move from product-centric selling to driving end-to-end transformation across network, cloud, and AI; helping customers secure every part of their digital journey. And over the coming years, we will continue to strengthen our partner program to align with our expanding portfolio across SASE, Cortex XSIAM, and AI-driven security, and ensure every partner is equipped to lead in the AI-powered era of cybersecurity.