Partner-first, Innovation-led approach enables SAS to meet evolving partner needs

Manish Nair,Regional Sales and Channels Leader, SAS shares about the company’s channel goals & policies and the initiatives it is taking to embrace new technologies and unlock new growth opportunities -   

How do your channel policies balance corporate goals with evolving partner needs?

At SAS, our channel policies are designed to be dynamic and adaptable. Our partners help us navigate diverse and evolving market conditions to deliver high-quality brand experiences and scale growth in strategic industries like health, financial services, public sector and SMB, amongst others. Transparency and shared accountability are the key pillars that help us stay responsive to evolving partner needs while driving long-term growth and innovation. SAS also uses tools like market development funds, joint business plans, and training discount models to steer partner incentives in directions that support SAS’s roadmap. Recognizing that partner needs change over time, SAS embeds flexibility into our approach through advisory boards and feedback loops, ensuring partner input shapes program evolution while staying aligned to our strategic goals.

What initiatives are you taking to strengthen partner trust and loyalty?

SAS doubled down on our partner strategy in 2023 with program enhancements that deliver clearer value and shared growth. Enhancing our partner ecosystem continues to be a strategic priority, elevating how it routes innovation, go-to-market activity and technology integration. SAS through its Partner Program, ensures that partners receive comprehensive training, readiness resources, discounted certification and education support, in addition to technical tools that co-deliver solutions. Furthermore, SAS continues to showcase success stories and recognize high-performing partners through awards, naturally fostering deeper loyalty and long-standing trust.

How do partners help unlock new markets and revenue streams?

Partners play a pivotal role by combining their industry expertise, local market presence, and specialized implementation capabilities with SAS’s advanced analytics, AI, and cloud solutions. Through the SAS Partner Program, resellers, system integrators, and managed service providers help localize SAS offerings, tailor them to sector-specific needs, and accelerate adoption in new regions or industries. Partners co-innovate with SAS to embed analytics and AI within broader digital transformation initiatives—opening new enterprise and mid-market opportunities across finance, manufacturing, government, and retail. Additionally, SAS partners drive solution co-creation and cloud transformation, helping organizations transition from traditional software deployments to subscription-based, cloud-delivered analytics. This not only enables recurring revenue for both SAS and its partners but also allows for expansion into emerging areas like GenAI, IoT analytics, and sustainability intelligence. 

How are you enabling partners to embrace AI, cloud, and emerging tech?

We’re committed to making emerging tech accessible and actionable for our partners through a combination of training, co-innovation, and technology integration initiatives. The SAS Partner Program provides structured enablement pathways, including hands-on workshops, certifications, and access to the SAS Partner Academy, which focuses on cloud analytics, machine learning, and AI-driven solutions. Beyond training, SAS fosters a culture of co-innovation by engaging partners in new technology development and go-to-market initiatives. SAS ensures its ecosystem remains future-ready, equipping partners with the tools, cloud infrastructure, and innovation frameworks to capitalize on emerging technologies and drive mutual growth.

What is your vision for the channel ecosystem in the next year?

My vision for the channel ecosystem in the coming year is to strengthen SAS’s position as a partner-first, innovation-driven organization, where partners are not just sales enablers but true extensions of SAS’s value delivery to customers. The focus will be on building deeper capabilities around SAS Viya and AI, so partners can confidently lead AI initiatives across industries. Continuous engagement via advisory councils, joint solution development and shared success metrics ensure that partner feedback directly informs strategy and program evolution. This vision aims to create a connected ecosystem that is agile, profitable, and aligned with market transformation, positioning SAS and its partners as trusted advisors helping organizations unlock the full potential of data and AI.