IBM ASEAN partners pumped by changes to IBM Partner Plus
ASEAN partners are excited by updates to partner program but also hope to get more enablement and training to be fully aligned with IBM’s goals.
The tweaks and upcoming changes announced by IBM to its partner program is expected to provide new incentives, expanded benefits and support, AI‑driven selling experiences and scalable co‑marketing funding to partners this year. In Southeast Asia, the partner ecosystem remains confident of success from these changes as they look to deliver more success with the vendor.
CRN Asia reached out to three IBM partners in the ASEAN region to understand how they intend to cope and adapt to these new changes. For most of the partners, the changes seem to be enabling them to have better alignment and greater market opportunities while others feel it enables them to have greater visibility on IBM’s vision for the region.
Right Computer Systems (The Philippines)
According to Aris Olegario, President and COO, Right Computer Systems, Inc, the recent changes by IBM to Partner Plus enable partners to meet customer requirements from more angles than ever before. Founded in 1988, Right Computer Systems, Inc (RCS) from the Philippines began as a business partner and systems reseller of IBM and has since evolved into a company that provides complete end-to-end solutions for enterprises consisting of systems, infrastructure and application software, business applications, and implementation services.
Today, the IT solution provider covers industries such as banking and finance, manufacturing, insurance, retail and distribution, telecommunications, government and public sector, and many others.
“As an IBM Business Partner for more than 35 years, the Partner Plus program and the improvements to the program that IBM has been making consistently in the past few years have made aligning with IBM's yearly strategies and directions much easier and smoother than ever,” Olegario said.
The IT solution provider also stated that it can now address customer needs effectively through several different ways, whether it be through their own service offerings and expertise bundled with IBM solutions, or partnering with other partners who also need RCS’ services but are not equipped themselves to handle such a requirement.
“This gives us the flexibility and the breadth of coverage that we have only been able to gain in these past few years through IBM's efforts to continuously improve our routes to market,” Olegario said.
For Olegario, Partner Plus has also equipped RCS with tools for selling that are more integrated with how they seek out customers more than ever. For example, IBM's My Digital Marketing platform has proven a highly effective platform for getting the word out on IBM's best offerings for various solution areas.
Olegario also pointed out that the platform IBM has provided partners with access to a wealth of marketing information for different products and solutions, is powerful and highly customizable, and can be used for marketing efforts at no extra cost.
“This is surprising because the value we get from it sure makes it seem as though they should be charging from it (I personally hope they don't). Last but not least, the incentive structure IBM provides to partners is stronger than ever. The structure itself provides different benefits to the partner, clearly explained in documentation, and IBM Philippines itself has always been open to explaining things that we seek clarification on. The cooperation that we've gotten so far has been outstanding,” he added.
Interestingly, Olegario pointed out that one area that they particularly want to gain more access to is the ease of accessibility to training. As a business partner who wishes to always align ourselves with IBM's strategies, Olegario stated that they want to be in lockstep with these strategies especially in today's quickly changing IT environment where AI, hybrid cloud, security, and automation challenges rapidly evolve.
“An easier and more accessible path to training in various solution areas would benefit us even more for us to meet customer demands and challenges,” he added.
Cohesive (Indonesia and Malaysia)
Cohesive (Indonesia and Malaysia), a Bentley brand, is a leading IBM Maximo solutions provider that has delivered more than 700 successful IBM Maximo implementations over the past 25 years. As an IBM Platinum Partner, the Cohesive team holds over 200 Maximo certifications with expertise across energy production and distribution, transportation, manufacturing, and mining.
Seno Hardijanto, Business Development Director (ASEAN), Cohesive views the latest IBM Partner Plus program very positively. He believes the program provides greater clarity around partner roles, priorities, and engagement models, which is essential for delivering consistent outcomes to customers.
“By clearly structuring how partners engage across selling, building, and servicing IBM solutions, Partner Plus strengthens collaboration and enables a more effective, partner-led approach. This clarity allows partners like Cohesive to align closely with IBM’s strategy while focusing on execution excellence and long-term customer value,” he said.
On updates to the partner program, Hardijanto shared that the IBM Partner Plus program makes it significantly easier to serve customers jointly, particularly for partners like Cohesive that actively participate across all three Partner Plus motions - Sell, Build, and Service.
“The program improves coordination and alignment across go-to-market, technical enablement, and delivery execution. Partner Plus supports our ability to sell IBM solutions collaboratively, build differentiated offerings by integrating IBM technologies, and service customers through consulting, implementation, and ongoing optimization. The strong emphasis on skills development, certifications, and enablement ensures partners are well-equipped to deliver consistently at scale. As a result, customers benefit from a more seamless, predictable, and outcome-driven experience across the entire solution lifecycle,” Hardijanto explained.
NxGen Asia Pte Ltd (Singapore)
NXGen Asia provides innovative IT services to fuel digital transformation and operational excellence. With expertise spanning Maximo Enterprise Asset Management, cloud migration, AI-driven solutions, app development and modernization, and geospatial solutions, the IBM Silver partner delivers secure and scalable solutions tailored to each customer’s business objectives.
As one of IBM’s Top Platinum Partners in Singapore, NexGen leverages IBM technologies to accelerate innovation, optimize performance, and enable lasting business value through modern, future-ready IT solutions. The partner won the Top Power and Top Storage award last year with IBM.
With IBM a pivotal partner in NxGen’s growth and presence in the IT industry since 1998, Daphne Lee, General Manager, Sales & Partner Alliance, NxGen Asia Pte Ltd explained that this long-standing partnership continues to deepen as both organizations align and transform to meet customers’ evolving technology needs.
“We are excited by IBM’s AI strategy and the depth of its focused AI portfolio, which is designed to accelerate AI adoption. We look forward to working even more closely with IBM to bring state-of-the-art AI technologies to our customers,” Lee said.