For those who know Citrix, there is no question – Citrix is redefining the Strategic Alliances Model for the future of work from the Cloud and people are taking notice. In recognition of our leadership and noteworthy contributions to the channel community, Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG), the world-renowned analyst, IT research, strategy and validation firm, has just selected Citrix as a recipient of the ESG Channel Acceleration Alliances Award.

In choosing Citrix, ESG pointed to our work to deepen relationships with alliance partners and our goal of becoming “Best to Partner With,” among other recent advancements in way Citrix delivers joint solutions with trusted vendor alliance partners. Having managed alliances for some time in my role at Citrix, I know first-hand the complexities we face in establishing, strengthening and driving partnerships, which makes this honor Citrix has eared in recognition of our progress all the more meaningful.

Leading Strategic Alliances is a role filled with great challenges and great opportunities. To be successful and drive new business, we must influence many parts of each partner organization and bring people together in the spirit of partnership to answer the question, “What can we do together that is going to drive great value for our joint customers?” It’s a creative role where you get to be innovative with your alliance partner and make the invisible, visible. It’s a journey that undoubtedly creates a bond of trust and shared success as our organizations grow by leveraging each other’s brands, technologies, and marketing power. It’s a relationship where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts and what we can accomplish together with partners must be treated with the utmost care and respect.

The leadership position we have established in this space and the recognition we received from ESG can be attributed to our focus on the “Four Pillars of Partnerships” that define how Citrix Strategic Alliances gains mutual leverage with our partners in the marketplace: Strategic, Technology and Solutions, Marketing and Sales Leverage.

In addition to our pillars, our leadership in strategic alliances is also about living the Citrix values, which enables us to be the “best to partner with” in the industry. Chief among them, Curiosity, Integrity and Respect — three Citrix values we live every day. When we live these values and focus on our partnering philosophy: building our strategic frameworks around partners, focusing on the leverage points, evangelizing our partnerships (aka. Everyone sells!) and executing on the opportunities — we are truly redefining the strategic alliances model in the age of cloud and mobility.

If these best practices can lend value to your work with Citrix, I welcome you to adapt it and leverage it with your teams. You can follow the latest Strategic Alliances news by reading my blog throughout 2017.

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