(NOTE: This story was originally posted to CRN.com April 10.)

Leaders Of The Partner Program Pack In Systems

Industry giants like Dell, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Cisco and Lenovo may dominate the systems arena, but the rise of converged infrastructure systems has provided an entry for a new generation of startups that are challenging the big guys – and they're all battling to recruit solution provider partners.

For solution providers, that means making decisions about which vendors to partner with in a space that covers everything from server hardware to network applictations to desktop PCs. And the level of support, incentives and rewards vendors are offering through their partner program is a big part of those decisions. CRN's 2017 Partner Program Guide offers the information solution providers need to evaluate IT vendors they work with or are considering working with. The guide is based on detailed applications vendors submitted outlining all aspects of their partner programs.

As part of the Partner Program Guide, CRN designates some programs as 5-Star Partner Programs. Here, we present the 5-Star designees in the system technology space.