BFSI and Manufacturing are the Largest Segments

How are things progressing for Pure Storage in terms of the partner ecosystem in India?

Things are progressing extremely well. We started operations in India in June 2020, and since then, we have been growing steadily. Our partners have also been growing every year—in fact, every quarter, we see a good increase in our partner ecosystem.  

We have expanded across the western, southern, and northern regions, ensuring solid coverage from both a territory and vertical perspective. We are focusing on partners with a stronger vertical approach, as they can provide more specialized solutions. For example, our partners focused on BFSI (Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance) have developed extremely effective solutions tailored to this sector. Manufacturing is another area where we see significant potential, as it allows our partners to develop vertical-specific skills as well.  

Currently, BFSI and manufacturing are the largest segments for us. These verticals have remained our primary focus, especially during the challenges posed by the COVID-19 period, and we have been performing exceptionally well in these areas. 

How does Pure Storage onboard new partners into its portfolio? What is the procedure, and what are the criteria for becoming a Pure Storage partner? 

The partner onboarding process at Pure Storage is straightforward. It begins with a discussion between us and the prospective partner. The partner presents a business plan, which we review to understand their thought process and objectives. Since every partner has unique expertise—many with decades of experience in the industry—we ensure the plan aligns with their goals and ours.  

Once the business plan is reviewed and agreed upon, we initiate a simple application process. This includes a legal check, contract review, and signing. The entire process typically takes about a week to ten days to complete.  

After onboarding, we focus on partner skilling. Our training programs are designed to equip partners with the knowledge they need for sales, pre-sales, and implementation. These trainings are available in two formats:  

1.Self-Paced Training: Partners can access training materials through our portal. These include bite-sized programs for sales teams to quickly grasp key updates and prepare for short customer presentations. More in-depth content is available for pre-sales professionals, including 8–9 hours of detailed product training. Implementation training programs are also provided to help partners deliver effective solutions.  

2. Instructor-Led Training: Calendarized sessions are available every quarter. These sessions are region-specific, with timings suited to partners in APJ, EMEA, and the Americas. For instance, APJ sessions are typically scheduled at 10:30 AM IST, making them convenient for most partners. These trainings last four hours over two consecutive days.  

Partners who complete pre-sales or implementation training can take certification exams at Prometric centers. Upon passing, they receive official certification. All training and certifications are free of charge, and partners can choose between video-based and instructor-led formats.  

This structured and flexible approach ensures our partners are well-prepared to represent Pure Storage effectively in the market while enhancing their own capabilities.

How does Pure Storage support system integrators in enhancing their skill sets and portfolios while implementing solutions for end customers?

As I mentioned earlier, we focus significantly on skilling our partners. Beyond that, we adopt an opportunity-based approach to provide additional support. Here's how it works:  

When a partner identifies an opportunity—such as modernizing infrastructure or consolidating storage for databases like SAP or Oracle—they come to us with the details. Our pre-sales team works closely with the partner to analyze the customer's requirements. We create questionnaires to help partners gather critical inputs during their discussions with customers. These inputs enable us to engage in a detailed sizing-based conversation to tailor the solution effectively.  

If the partner needs additional support, such as accompanying them for customer meetings, we provide that too. Our team joins these discussions—sometimes for one, two, or even three meetings—until the partner gains confidence to handle the process independently. This hands-on experience helps the partner’s sales and pre-sales teams upskill in real-world scenarios, which is often the best way to learn.  

From a technology perspective, particularly with emerging solutions like AI, we offer advanced tools to further assist partners. For example, if a partner has already sold a solution to a customer, our tools can provide valuable insights into the customer's usage patterns. The system can notify the partner if a customer’s storage capacity is nearing its limit—for instance, reaching 80% utilization by a specific date. This allows the partner to proactively suggest upgrades or additional capacity, ensuring the customer's needs are met while creating new opportunities for the partner.  

These tools not only offer actionable insights but also build the partner’s confidence in Pure Storage. They enable the partner to present well-informed recommendations to customers, enhancing the overall experience. Whether it’s conventional business opportunities or new technology solutions, we ensure our partners are equipped to succeed independently while maintaining access to our support when needed. 

How does Pure Storage differentiate itself from competitors, considering SIs may have access to other solutions and portfolios? How do you ensure that partners prioritize offering Pure Storage solutions to end customers?

The unique selling point (USP) of Pure Storage lies in its core technologies, which are entirely developed and manufactured by us. For instance, our operating system and the Direct Flash Module (DFM) are proprietary technologies created in-house. These components are built in our factory in Houston, ensuring complete control over quality and performance.  

Our solutions cater to a wide range of industry requirements. Whether it’s scale-out or scale-up models, we provide systems designed for various workloads:  

High-Performance Workloads: For Oracle databases or similar workloads requiring high performance with sub-microsecond latency, we offer systems tailored to deliver low-latency and high-efficiency results.  
Capacity-Based Requirements: We cater to customers who primarily need storage for capacity rather than performance.  
File and Object Storage: Our solutions address specific needs for file and object-based storage, covering diverse storage use cases.  

Additionally, we offer innovative solutions for modern environments:  

Cloud-Native Solutions: For customers building cloud infrastructure with platforms like Red Hat OpenShift or VMware Tanzu, our Portworx solution integrates seamlessly, supporting Kubernetes and container-based architectures.  
- Cloud Repatriation: With the rise in cloud repatriation, where customers move data from cloud environments back to on-premises infrastructure, our Cloud Block Store solution simplifies the process, offering flexibility and ease of transition.  

We instil confidence in our partners by offering a comprehensive suite of solutions that addresses performance, capacity, cloud-native environments, and hybrid models. They recognize that Pure Storage provides a complete and reliable portfolio to meet diverse customer needs, setting us apart from competitors.  

This differentiated approach ensures that partners see value in promoting Pure Storage solutions, knowing they can meet a wide range of customer demands while maintaining high performance and reliability.

Are there any schemes or incentive programs for partners?

We offer various schemes and incentives for our partners. These include incentives for individual sellers as well as programs designed for partner organizations.  

Our incentive structure is closely tied to the partner's growth and skilling. We have two levels of partnership: Preferred and Elite. Partners initially join as Preferred and can progress to the Elite category based on their skill development, business performance, and the number of certifications they achieve.  

This structure motivates partners to enhance their capabilities and grow within the ecosystem. By providing both individual and organizational incentives, we ensure that our partners are supported and rewarded for their commitment and success.

Beyond BFSI, ITSM, and manufacturing, which verticals do you see as having the maximum traction in the storage market? 

We operate across all verticals, including healthcare, manufacturing, telecom, and others. Our approach depends largely on the skill set and focus of our partners. For example, if a partner specializes in healthcare, we support them in selling solutions tailored to that vertical.  

Take healthcare as an example. Partners serving hospitals might already have contracts for selling servers, but hospitals also require specialized storage solutions for medical imaging such as PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication System). We offer highly effective file and object storage solutions designed to meet retention requirements for X-rays and MRI scans, which need to be stored securely and retrieved quickly, particularly in the context of online consultations. This makes our solutions highly valuable for healthcare providers.  

Similarly, in the telecom sector, partners might serve companies like BSNL or work on different applications, and we provide solutions tailored to their needs.  

In the BFSI sector, regulatory requirements such as those from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) often necessitate robust backup and recovery solutions. Our offerings integrate seamlessly with most backup vendors, enabling faster restore speeds compared to competitors. This capability helps partners address customer pain points effectively.  

We emphasize skilling our partners from a vertical perspective to ensure they can leverage these opportunities. By helping them build expertise in specific industries, we enable them to expand their revenue streams while also increasing our presence across multiple verticals. This collaborative approach benefits both partners and Pure Storage, creating a win-win situation.   

What are your marketing strategies? 

Our marketing strategy operates on two levels: global marketing initiatives and channel marketing tailored to support our partners.  

Channel marketing includes several forms of support:  
1. Market Development Funds (MDF): We provide funding for partners to execute specific marketing activities, such as hosting events or workshops tailored to their customers.  
2. Event Collaboration: If a partner wants to organize an event targeting a particular customer or industry, we can fund and support the initiative.  
3. Workshops and Knowledge Sharing: Partners often request workshops for their customers on topics such as modernized infrastructure, artificial intelligence (AI), or machine learning (ML). In such cases, we arrange for skilled speakers to participate and engage in discussions on relevant topics. This helps partners build stronger relationships and opportunities with their customers.  

These initiatives ensure that we support our partners from all angles.

What is your vision for 2025 in terms of the partner ecosystem? 

By 2025, I foresee a significant shift within the partner ecosystem, primarily driven by a transition from CAPEX to OPEX models. This shift will emphasize a transition from traditional ownership-based models to a usership-based approach.  

Key trends we anticipate include:

1. Adoption of OPEX-Based Solutions:  

Partners are increasingly leaning towards offering OPEX-driven solutions to customers, such as as-a-service models. This approach eliminates upfront capital expenditure for customers, replacing it with periodic billing cycles, enabling better cash flow management for both customers and partners.  

2. Focus on Subscription and Renewal Models:  

With OPEX solutions, partners can secure regular cash flows through subscription renewals. This enables them to maintain steady revenue streams and allocate resources effectively toward scaling other business opportunities.  

3. Long-Term Customer Engagement:  

The new model fosters sustained customer relationships through multi-year service contracts, ranging from one to seven years or more. This creates consistent engagement opportunities and enhances partner profitability.  

This transformation from ownership to usership is a significant evolution in the partner ecosystem, aligning with changing customer expectations and market dynamics. It not only enhances cash flow but also empowers partners to diversify their offerings and scale efficiently. 

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