The adoption of Digital Transformation and cloud as a platform and more recently Artificial Intelligence has flipped the role of data and its storage. Proximity of data to the point of application workloads and use cases is necessary for efficiency and optimisation. For data storage vendors like Seagate that has meant realigning to a new breed of emerging channel partners and new centres of storage consumption. It has also meant revamping its partner programme.
Historically Seagate’s channel partner programme has been focussed around the demand from sales of systems. But with the ongoing adoption of cloud and the vast interest levels around Artificial Intelligence, Seagate has been revamping its partner programme.
“Everything is just changing so drastically and so quickly that there is new customers coming out,” says Adam Less, Senior Vice President, Global Sales OEMs and Distribution, Seagate Technology.
The main requirement of the new Seagate partner programme is to bring added value to those customers who may not have done business with Seagate.
“We have got a good partner set today from direct distributors that we work with. But outside of that, there are new customers that we are finding, that we have never dealt with before, and many are related to AI,” says Less.
Historically Seagate’s channel programme has been focussed on VARs and system integrators.
The evolving data consumption landscape requires agility, and Seagate’s new partner programme is a direct response to this transformation. With the increasing demand for data storage and management solutions, Seagate has recognised the need for a partner programme that empowers partners to address diverse and growing customer requirements.
Changing partner landscape
While cloud and AI are technology disruptors, Less points to the emergence of service providers as a new class of channel partners. While service providers like MSPs provide value added services on the top of their technology stack offerings, the trend which is of interest to Seagate is the repatriation of workloads and data from the cloud to on-premises, cloud infrastructures, leading to hybrid cloud models of adoption.
Service providers also champion on-demand, Opex type models of IT consumption that are favourable and preferred by modern day end user enterprises.
“If you look at what has really happened, it is the emergence of service providers and we are starting to see a lot more in the area of consultancy services for storage,” indicates Less. According to the latest related trends from Gartner, 65% to 70% of enterprise storage will be bought as a service on-premises.
Seagate’s efforts to realign its partner programme are because of the emergence of such channel players and to tap into the market dynamics that they can offer.
“The trend is continuing to evolve as more and more customers are looking for on-premises, consumption based models. And we see partners as instrumental in building those types of solutions for the market,” explains Less.
There are other trends that are also influencing the realignment of Seagate’s partner programme.
Digital transformation and cloud drove attention to cloud regions and where the data in the cloud was located. However for AI workloads it is not just about the cloud. It is about how close is the data to the AI workloads generating the data and inferencing the data.
While cloud adoption has previously dominated conversations around data management and storage consumption, Less points out that the Edge and the gravity of data are becoming more important today.
“Now you are doing more with that data than you initially did. When you get to AI, that data becomes bigger and bigger, and actually starts generating more data. How close that data is to your application becomes important. And where previously digital transformation may allow you to push it to the cloud, now you need to access that data faster,” elaborates Less.
“I would say AI on top of digital transformation drives a new level of acceleration and I do not think we even know where that goes yet,” he adds.
“We are finding that the Edge is becoming more relevant and even more important as data and the gravity and the importance of that data starts to evolve,” says Less.
Product and market segmentation
Seagate has a specialised product portfolio that is aligned to the segmentation of its target consumer, business and enterprise market.
“For the base platform, we will look at what each of these key applications need and then we tune the product to be the best fit for that particular application,” says Less.
Seagate segments the storage market into personal and gaming consumers, businesses that require attached network attached storage, video surveillance solution users, and data centre and enterprise storage users.
The flagship products include Ultra Compact SSD for personal consumers; FireCuda 530R SSD with Heatsink for gaming consumers; IronWolf Pro for network attached storage; SkyHawk AI Video HD FOR video analytics; and Enterprise Exos M 32 TB for data centre and enterprise workloads.
New partner programme
Seagate’s new partner programme under development is much broader now and will provide channel partners a lot more information about Seagate’s products, how to use those products effectively, and how to drive them into solutions.
One guiding principle for Seagate’s new partner programme is that traditionally Seagate channel partners sell multiple products.
“We do not have a lot of single point solutions where a reseller or a system integrator sells only one solution. We do focus and bias a lot towards the enterprise segment,” explains Less.
Another key initiative from Seagate in building the new partner programme is to spend a lot more time and effort with their tier-one partners or distributors.
“We are going to spend more time directly with the distributors because the market is evolving so quickly. There are new customer names that we have never dealt with before,” says Less.
Typically these new opportunities for Seagate, start out as emerging applications and these applications generate data and where that data resides is also important.
“We are working with distributors to not only educate them better on the products, but to work together on how we can reach these customers that typically have not been customers in the past,” is how Less describes the challenge.
For these new opportunities, proximity of the data actually becomes relevant and could make or break the experience that these customers are attempting to generate with their applications. Also these new opportunities are being funded by venture capital and getting the data storage infrastructure right sized is an important part of the initial spending and engagement.
Less expects Seagate’s tier one partners to take the lead and reach out to these new customers and to help them design their storage requirements.
Seagate will rely on regional tier-one partners like ALSO, Exertis, ASBIS, TD Synnex, and Ingram Micro. They are pivotal in amplifying the programme’s message and reaching the extended market that can benefit from Seagate’s solutions.
Regional partners act as key influencers, helping to localise and scale the programme to meet the unique needs of different regions. They are instrumental in driving the adoption of the programme, ensuring that partners have access to the right resources and support to effectively bring Seagate’s solutions to market.
Seagate aims to ensure that the programme resonates with and benefits all partners in the region, creating more opportunities for growth and collaboration.
“This conversation will happen not only with distributors but within our own company as well,” says Less. “We have got to work very closely together.”
For Seagate, the way forward lies in working with its tier-one partners to manage its traditional business while building an organisation for its new business development.
“It is going to be a two part effort to find out who these customers are and what they are doing and how do we add value,” visualises Less.
Onboarding and enabling Seagate’s new channel partners
Launching later in 2025, Seagate’s new partner programme is designed to accommodate different levels of engagement and growth potential within the channel partner ecosystem. Seagate’s new programme recognises partners at every level, tailoring support based on their growth trajectory, business scale, and competencies.
At the entry level, Seagate has the Emerald Tier, which provides self-service tools, training, and resources for partners to grow their Seagate business at their own pace.
As partners progress, they move to the Gold Tier, where they gain access to more dedicated support, tailored resources, and business benefits that help them meet specific business needs.
The Diamond Tier is reserved for high-performance partners. These accounts receive unique partnerships, advanced resources, and exclusive benefits to help them scale their business in the most competitive markets.
Seagate’s programme is fully integrated across the entire solution portfolio, providing partners with tools, training, and sales enablement to effectively support customers as their needs evolve. Seagate has designed the programme to foster deep collaboration with partners, enabling them to thrive while they handle market-leading technologies.
By aligning with Seagate’s vision and continuously nurturing the relationships, Seagate aims to help partners grow alongside in this dynamic market.
Seagate has revamped its programme to focus on the vast data storage opportunities in cloud, AI applications, and Edge storage. Seagate is equipping partners with the expertise and training needed to leverage emerging storage trends and unlock new revenue streams.
The new competency framework offers a thorough understanding of various market data storage needs and solutions. Additionally, Seagate has introduced specific financial benefits for partners. This is not just a storage programme. it is a holistic approach for helping partners become trusted industry advisors.
The programme is designed based on extensive partner feedback, prioritising what truly matters to them. Seagate provide a unified approach across all solutions, stackable rewards, and a comprehensive support structure, including dedicated account teams, pre-sales engineering, and marketing resources.
Most importantly, Seagate is investing in partner success with hands-on enablement materials, lead generation programmes, and marketing development funds to grow your business.
The previous partner programme was focused on Seagate’s data storage systems offering. In the new programme, Seagate has introduced new tiering levels to align systems and hard drive channels. The three-tier structure is designed to better recognise and reward partner efforts and achievements.
Seagate has completely overhauled the training infrastructure, including advanced training modules to equip partners with the latest knowledge and skills. This ensures they are well-prepared to leverage products and solutions effectively.
Seagate is also launching a new partner portal with a more modern and intuitive user experience and layout. The portal is integrated with the LMS, providing partners with a single platform for training and programme materials. Seagate is also developing enablement and campaign kits to accelerate partners’ onboarding and marketing efforts.
Product snapshot
Seagate segments the storage market into personal and gaming consumers, businesses that require attached network attached storage, video surveillance solution, and data centre and enterprise storage.
The flagship products include Ultra Compact SSD for personal consumers; FireCuda 530R SSD with Heatsink for gaming consumers; IronWolf Pro for network attached storage; SkyHawk AI Video HD FOR video analytics; and Enterprise Exos M 32 TB.
Ultra Compact SSD for personal consumers
Users can store and work on files on-the-go with the sleek, cable-free Ultra Compact SSD. Conveniently free up space on the PC, phone, tablet or gaming device with transfer speeds of up to 1,000 Mbps. Ideal for travel and is durable with 3 meter drop protection, IP54 dust and water resistance, and rubber sleeve for extra grip. A compact and light, thumb-drive sized SSD easily attaches to a keyring.
It has a direct USB-C port connectivity for convenient, true plug and play usage. It is compatible with platforms like Windows and Mac, and devices including Android, iPhone, tablets and gaming consoles. It is sustainability focused, made with a minimum of 35% recycled materials. It includes easy-to-use Seagate Toolkit backup software to back up files to your computer and sync important projects to your drive.
FireCuda 530R SSD with Heatsink for gaming consumers
FireCuda 530R SSD with Heatsink, is the latest evolution of the best-selling PCIe Gen4 SSD, and unleashes ultra-fast speeds, extreme durability and performance. With components in a slim M.2 2280 form factor and built-in heatsink, it is ideal for pro-level gamers and creators. FireCuda 530R SSD supports Microsoft DirectStorage and is PS5 compatible for seamless gaming. Plus, it is available in 1 TB, 2 TB, or 4 TB capacities.
Built-in Heatsink minimises thermal throttling. Ultra-fast PCIe Gen4 SSD speeds for accelerated gaming and content creation. It supports Microsoft DirectStorage technology for faster load times. It is durable with endurance of up to 5,050 TBW. It is backed up by 5-year warranty, 3-years Rescue Services and SeaTools 5 support
IronWolf Pro for NAS
IronWolf Pro is designed for commercial and enterprise NAS and delivers scalable performance in multibay, multi-user environments. It is optimised for NAS with AgileArray and enables Dual-Plane Balancing and Time-Limited Error Recovery to deliver best-in-class RAID performance in multi-bay systems.
IronWolf Pro drives utilise conventional magnetic recording technology for consistent, best-in-class NAS performance. It provides up to 24 TB broad range of capacity options to deliver scalable and cost-efficient storage solutions.
IronWolf Pro drives are rated for 550 TB per year workloads, allowing commercial and enterprise NAS users to store, share and collaborate on large amounts of networked data.
IronWolf Pro drives are rated for 2.5M hours, mean time between failures and include a 5-year limited warranty for hassle-free data storage and best-in class total cost of ownership. They have built-in rotational vibration sensors for vibration tolerance and consistent performance in multi-bay systems.
IronWolf Health Management protects NAS data with Prevention, Intervention, and Recovery recommendations to ensure peak system health. IronWolf Pro drives include 3 years of complimentary Rescue Data Recovery Services, in-house secure facilities, with an industry-leading recovery rate of 95%, so you do not have to incur high recovery costs in the event of accidental data corruption or drive damage.
SkyHawk AI Video HD FOR video analytics
Seagate SkyHawk AI Hard Drive, with up to 24TB of capacity, is purpose-built for AI video analytics and surveillance systems, supporting up to 64 HD cameras and 32 additional AI streams. It ensures zero dropped frames through ImagePerfect AI technology, delivering smooth video recording and playback.
Engineered for high reliability, the SkyHawk AI Hard Drive offers enterprise-class workload rates of 550 TB per year and 2.5 million hours mean time between failures, making it the ideal solution for demanding surveillance systems and AI-driven environments requiring continuous, high-quality data capture. ImagePerfect AI firmware delivers zero dropped frames while supporting heavier workloads.
Versatile capabilities intelligently adapt to the scale of your AI environment, supporting up to 64 HD video streams and 32 AI streams. SkyHawk Health Management actively helps protect video storage by focusing on prevention, intervention and recovery options. It is backed by a 5-year limited warranty.
SkyHawk AI supports video analysis and recording simultaneously with GPU analytics workloads. It provides consistent performance with built-in rotational vibration sensors providing reliable storage for NVR with little lag or downtime. It has unlimited multi-bay support to meet growing storage demands.
Enterprise Exos M 32 TB
Seagate’s Exos M hard drive, boasts a breakthrough 3 TB per platter density, and delivers extraordinary storage capacity and power efficiency. It is crafted to power AI and data-intensive applications in cloud and enterprise environments. The Exos M hard drive is the first to feature 3 TB per platter, enabling massive storage capacity in the same footprint for maximised AI-driven data centre efficiency.
30 TB+ of storage in an industry-standard 3.5-inch form factor delivers capacity at scale while optimising space utilisation in data centres. It blends 90% of trusted, proven components from previous generations with Mozaic 3+ technology. It offer 3× the power efficiency per terabyte compared to typical drives, reducing operational costs and energy consumption and supporting your sustainability goals.
It is designed for the demands of hyperscale cloud service providers, providing durable, always-on performance essential for critical enterprise applications. It is meant for AI, Big Data analytics, and high-capacity storage. Exos M 32 TB supports evolving business demands and data-hungry applications, ensuring future-ready infrastructure. Built-in reliable data protection enhances security, safeguarding data against threats in enterprise environments.
It is built with more renewable energy and recycled materials than any previous Seagate product. Exos M 32 TB enables businesses to align with their own sustainability initiatives while reducing environmental impact. It is engineered for optimal heat dissipation, ensuring reliable performance without increasing cooling requirements in the data centre. It maintains the same form factor, interface, and cooling as previous generations, simplifying integration into existing infrastructure and reducing upgrade complexities.
