Hitachi Vantara enabling Partners to Unlock the real power of Data for customers

In a rapidly evolving data landscape, Hitachi Vantara has placed great emphasis on empowering its partner community by taking up several initiatives and engagement programs. Additionally, the company’s focus on sustainability and innovation has resonated well with its partners and customers, enabling the brand to strengthen its market position, deliver value and drive growth.

Hemant Tiwari, Managing Director and Vice President, India and SAARC Region, Hitachi Vantara tells VARINDIA of how this has been possible – 

Having seen strong demand for its data management and cloud solutions and driven by increasing digital transformation initiatives, the first half of 2024 has been quite transformative for Hitachi Vantara. There has also been many significant growth in its partner ecosystem, driven by its commitment to empowering partners with the tools and resources they need to succeed. 

Initiatives to scale up partner growth 
The company launched several key initiatives to enhance its channel ecosystem, including the establishment of a new Partner Advisory Board. This platform allows Hitachi Vantara to engage regularly with its partners, exchange best practices, and actively evaluate feedback. 

“Additionally, we have invested over USD $200,000 in demo machines to provide our partners with the ability to showcase our solutions to potential customers at their own sites. This allows our partners to effectively demonstrate the value and capabilities of Hitachi Vantara's offerings in practical scenarios. These initiatives not only boost our partners' ability to generate leads and close sales, but also highlight Hitachi Vantara's commitment and strategic focus on empowering partners, fostering collaboration, and enhancing their market success,” explains Hemant Tiwari, managing director and vice president, India and SAARC Region, Hitachi Vantara.

The key strategy for partner transformation is centered on empowering partners, first and foremost. Hitachi Vantara is committed to providing partners with the necessary training and technical support to navigate the complexities of data management and scalability that customers face, while also focusing on sustainable practices. 

“One big reason why we launched the Partner Advisory Board is to enhance dialogue and collaboration with our partners. The Board serves as a platform for us to regularly convene with our partners, exchange industry best practices and actively listen to our partners’ feedback, with the goal of fostering continuous improvement and excellence in the partner programs,” contends Hemant. 
To deliver a superior cloud and as-a-service experience, Hitachi Vantara has launched the VSP One platform, offering advanced block and object storage solutions in both on-premises private cloud and public cloud environments. Its software-defined Hitachi Storage Virtualization Operating System and S3-compliant Hitachi Content Platform ensure seamless integration and performance.
Furthermore, Hitachi Vantara has launched the EverFlex program, enabling partners to offer customers a wide choice of consumption options for the Hitachi Content Platform. This ranges from traditional capital expenditure (CapEx) to flexible operational expenditure (OpEx) models, which include pay-per-use and full-scale as-a-service offerings with comprehensive Service Level Agreement (SLA) management, empowering partners to meet diverse customer needs effectively.

Partners also bring to the company a lot of operational efficiency – they help Hitachi Vantara to scale the business. 

“Thus, our channel program is designed to provide partners with comprehensive training and support in all areas.  We have partner enablement tools for our partners to get the resources they need, familiarise themselves with our solutions, and do up their own configurations, quotes and pricings. This way, the dependency on Hitachi Vantara is minimal, and their time is spent more on engaging with the end customer and solving their challenges,” explains Hemant.

Shift from ‘Partner First to Partner Priority’
The shift from a ‘Partner First’ to a ‘Partner Priority’ approach signifies an evolution in how Hitachi Vantara views and values its partnerships. While "Partner First" reflects the importance of partners in its ecosystem, "Partner Priority" goes a step further by integrating partners more deeply into its strategic vision and operational framework. 

In a "Partner Priority" model, Hitachi Vantara aims to - 
Enhance Collaboration: By prioritizing its partners, Hitachi Vantara creates more opportunities for joint innovation and co-creation. This allows the company to leverage its partners' unique strengths and capabilities, driving more significant outcomes for customers.

Increase Investment: Prioritizing partners means dedicating more resources to their success. This includes tailored training programs, marketing support, and access to cutting-edge technologies.
Strengthen Relationships: By placing a high priority on partners, Hitachi Vantara fosters deeper, more strategic relationships. This translates into a more transparent, communicative, and mutually beneficial partnership where both parties can thrive.

Drive Mutual Growth: The "Partner Priority" approach is designed to create a symbiotic relationship where the growth of partners directly contributes to its growth. This model supports a more sustainable and scalable business environment for both Hitachi Vantara and partners.