Coriant this week unveiled a Multi-Sided Platform Partner Program through which it intends to extend the scope of the IT solutions its partners can deliver on top of the company’s core networking platform.
The goal is to make it simpler for Coriant partners to partner with other vendors deploying applications and services on top of a software-defined networking (SDN) platform based on optical networking technologies that have been optimized to run third-party network function virtualization software (NFV) , says Rob Shore, vice president of sales and enablement for Coriant.
“Coriant provides the transport,” says Shore. “We want to make it easier for partners to mix and match technologies to create solutions.”
Vendors participating in the Coriant program include ADTRAN, Bluechip Systems, Crunch Media Works, Engineered Fluids, Federated Wireless, nuPSYS and Openwave Mobility.
In collaboration with those vendors, Shore says Coriant is committed to providing pre-sales support, sales enablement tools, lifecycle management, support and integration services as needed. Rather than having to navigate multiple partner programs, the goal is to make it simpler for partners to simultaneously engage multiple vendors, says Shore.
Shore says typical types of solutions and managed services partners would build and sell span everything from next-generation 5G networks to the Internet of Things (IoT) projects.
In general, Shore says demand for these services is rising sharply in metro areas where customers need bandwidth to deliver highly distributed application and services.
Competition across the SDN/NFV space is already fierce. Most providers of networking services are just now starting to make the transition to these platforms. Both AT&T and Verizon are considerably ahead in terms of deploying open source technologies to drive many of these services. But Coriant expects there will be a larger number of rival carriers and emerging service provider looking to deploy a more turnkey SDN/NFV platform to catch up.
It’s unclear to what degree that competition will create demand for channel partners. But anytime there’s a major technology transition occurring opportunities for channel partners soon follow.
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