Siemens launches MindSphere Partner Program

By Niraj M Wanikar, Chief Editor, CNCTimes.com, 2017-12-02 13:11:00

• New global program to help partners leverage Internet of Things (IoT) technology to solve business challenges

Siemens today announcestheMindSphere Partner Program, the newest element of its open cloud-based Internet of Things (IoT) operating system. This program, launched globally, equips partners in both operational technology (OT) and informational technology (IT) areas with the tools needed to help solve real business and technical challenges faced by end customers through the transformational capabilities of MindSphere and IoT technology. It also marks the completion of the first phase of investments in a new global team to support partners at strategic and regional levels with a combination of business development and technical resources focused on helping partners build their own solutions on MindSphere technology.

“Siemens’ open platform as a service approach, combined with its enhanced partner program, provides key resources to jointly solve problems for our customers,” explained Paul AlbadaJelgersma, senior vice president, Global Head of Atos Services for Siemens’MindSphere, Atos IoT Services. “We are already engaged in joint solutions for industrial customers and the incremental investments in this program only help accelerate success.”

Through the MindSpherePartner Program, partners can gain greater opportunities to build IoT applications and solutions on the MindSphereoperating system and provide professional services to solve real business problems. The program is built specifically to help partners who desire to leverage the open cloud-based nature of MindSphereto address a wide range of device and enterprise application connectivity protocol options, industry applications,advanced analytics and an innovative development environment that utilizes both Siemens’ open Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) capabilities along with access to native Amazon (AWS)cloud services. Through these capabilities, MindSphere connects real things to the digital world and provides powerful industry applications and digital services to drive business success. The open PaaSmodelwill enables a rich partner ecosystem to develop and deliver new applications. Target partner business models for the MindSphere Partner Program include system integrators, application developers, consulting and strategic partners, technology partners, connectivity partners, and hybrid OT partners.

The new MindSphere Partner Program, based on a globally-consistent three-tier program structure (Platinum, Gold, and Silver), also includes clear business development benefits and requirements per tier.  Partners in all tiers have the ability to access new business development benefits, and earn influencer fees by identifying and helping close new MindSphere opportunities via a deal registration tool. Gold and Platinum Partners are also eligible for business development funding to drive proof of concept, marketing, and technical activities that can accelerate their businesses and investments. A MindSpherepartner manager will work with such partners to define a joint business plan to align resources for joint success.

“Partners have fully embraced the concept of building new applications and services around MindSphere as an open platform, making our partner program, that rewards and accelerates their investment, a key next step,” said Paul Kaeley, senior vice president of Siemens’Partner Ecosystem. “Transforming how customers can leverage IOT requires a holistic end-to-end solution, which can only happen with partners.”

“As an existing partner of Siemens PLM Software, we are thrilled to now have the opportunity to help both existing and new customers leverage IoT to solve key manufacturing business problems,” says Ettore Soldi, CEO and managing director of Hyla Soft USA.  “The new MindSphere Partner Program gives us the business development and technical tools we need to do so more quickly, and more effectively take advantage of the inherent strengths of the MindSphere platform to address those challenges.”

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