New HPE North America Head Of Partner Sales Phil Soper: ‘This Is Not Your Grandfather’s HPE’

New HPE North America Head of Partner Sales Phil Soper, who is heading up a new combined US and Canada Channels & Ecosystems organization, is promising new incentives aimed at driving the GreenLake cloud services partner transformation.

Soper Pledges Innovative New Incentives To Drive Partner Transformation

New HPE North America Head of Partner Sales Phil Soper is promising innovative new incentives aimed at driving the GreenLake cloud services partner transformation.

“This is not a traditional channel chief (job),” said Soper in an interview with CRN on his first day on the job. “ I would tell you that the funding that we use can’t be traditional funding. We have to look at ways that we can take that funding model and be creative to help some of these partners build practices, things like funding assessments for customers, which gets the digital transformation strategy discussions started.”

Soper said that new funding will be critical to helping both new born-in-the-cloud partners and traditional partners grow their GreenLake practices.

“I think there is an opportunity for us to transform the investments and how we invest in our partner ecosystem as well (to drive the GreenLake channel transformation),” he said. “Having some experience in working with a hyperscaler in a previous life, I know the funding vehicles that are important.”

Soper said that he is going to move quickly to build a born-in-the-private cloud ecosystem. “There is a great opportunity to develop, co-develop and collaborate on a digital transformation strategy that has our edge to cloud platform as its centerpiece,” he said. “For those that are not currently HPE ecosystem partners we are going to be engaging with them as quickly as we can to talk about how we create that born in the private cloud ecosystem.”

Ultimately, Soper said he will measure his success in the new job on the pace of transformation that takes place on his watch.

“It is not only the traditional partners who are challenged to make that transformation,” he told CRN. “There are also as (HPE North America Managing Director) Paul (Hunter) said some of the born-in-the-cloud partners that we are not talking to. This is an opportunity for us to expand our ecosystem. It is not only about bringing those traditional partners to see the opportunity, but also attract a whole new set of ecosystem partners that are excited about our edge to cloud platform.”

What is your message to partners as you take on the new role of head of partner sales North America with a new North America Channels & Ecosystems sales offensive?

First I would say that I am exceptionally excited to take on the role. I joined HPE two and a half years ago from PCM where I lived through a significant transformation from a traditional VAR to a cloud provider.

What attracted me to HPE was seeing public cloud rising in terms of demand but also leaving holes in the market where the HPE GreenLake edge to cloud platform could fit. I was attracted two and half years ago to be part of that transformation. I started that process here in Canada.

I’ll measure my success on the transformation that we go through. It is not only the traditional partners who are challenged to make that transformation. There are also as (HPE North America Managing Director) Paul (Hunter) said some of the born-in-the-cloud partners that we are not talking to. This is an opportunity for us to expand our ecosystem. It is not only about bringing those traditional partners to see the opportunity, but also attract a whole new set of ecosystem partners that are excited about our edge to cloud platform.

How fast is this edge-to-cloud services transformation that is reshaping the channel landscape?

In Canada what I have seen is really an explosion of partners that have jumped on the transformation. You can’t really compare where we are today with where we were a year ago relative to the ecosystem of partners we have who are selling as a service solutions. We are seeing double digit growth in terms of new partners, double digit growth in terms of new customer adds. That is all being driven by partners.

There is a huge, huge demand for (our GreenLake edge to cloud services) and huge excitement. All of the traditional players that may have done public cloud or have a hyperscale practice have found that there is significant holes in that strategy. That is where workloads don’t go to public cloud but need to be where a customer wants a public cloud experience but wants it on premise. That is where GreenLake is an ideal fit. Partners are recognizing now that they have an opportunity to fill out, if you will, their cloud strategy.

What are some of the levers you are going to pull as the head of the new North America Channels & Ecosystems organization to drive GreenLake transformation?

I think there is an opportunity for us to transform the investments and how we invest in our partner ecosystem as well (to drive the GreenLake channel transformation).

Having some experience in working with a hyperscaler in a previous life, I know the funding vehicles that are important.

This is not a traditional channel chief (job). I would tell you that the funding that we use can’t be traditional funding. We have to look at ways that we can take that funding model and be creative to help some of these partners build practices, things like funding assessments for customers, which gets the digital transformation strategy discussions started. It is really taking funding and applying it to where we can help both the born-in-the-cloud partners that are not accustomed to our as a service offering and also our traditional partners to help them build their practices.

Is this looking at the channels and ecosystems in a whole new way with GreenLake?

The reason I am so excited about the role and appreciative of HPE and Paul giving me this opportunity is because this is really transformational. I can’t emphasize that enough. It is a really exciting opportunity to do different things and to be part of a new HPE story. We have made some progress, but my intention being in this job is to have people look back and say, ‘This is not your grandfather’s HPE.’

What do you see as your biggest advantages as you step into the new job particularly with regard to your past experiences overseeing transformations at PCM and CompuCom?

If you look at my history I have had transformational roles certainly at CompuCom and PCM. What I would tell our partners is I have walked in their shoes.

I have been a traditional VAR if you will who faced extinction or a downward trend in my business and needed to find new ways, new strategies and new vision. I have done it.

What I have tried to do at HPE is when we are looking at ways that we fund things or may want to invest I put myself in the partner’s shoes.

So if someone is creating a program I will put myself in the shoes as the partner- like I was as the president of PCM – and ask the right questions: about what is really necessary to make that program successful.

Our partners can count on the fact that I have walked in their shoes. I can relate to them. I understand the challenges and I know different ways at HPE that we can change how we do things for the success of partners.

How fast is this everything-as-a-service channel transformation taking hold?

I would say it is here right now and it is urgent. The transformation is way upon us. I would say to partners: if you have not been talking to HPE about our edge to cloud platform and are interested in an (HPE GreenLake cloud service) practice then you should.

There is a great opportunity to develop, co-develop and collaborate on a digital transformation strategy that has our edge to cloud platform as its centerpiece.

For those that are not currently HPE ecosystem partners we are going to be engaging with them as quickly as we can to talk about how we create that born in the private cloud ecosystem.

How did it feel when you got the news that you would be taking this new Channels & Ecosystems job?

I was honored. I don’t want to be melodramatic here, but I think I was made for this role. I think my past experiences made me well suited for this job. I don’t think I could have picked a next better step. This is an opportunity for me to continue the transformational stuff that I love to do. That is where I get my excitement. To say this is coming at me fast and furious would be an understatement. But I am so ready for the challenge and I am very excited about the future! I am thrilled!

What are some of the first steps as you take the helm?

The first step is getting ready for HPE Discover and meeting my new team. It is getting to know them. When I get to Discover I’m going to be meeting partners. I am going to be getting to this really quickly.