Virtualization and cloud infrastructure leader will bolster exemplary alliance management practice with tools, training and methodologies of the trade

CANTON, Mass., Aug. 13 — The Association of Strategic Alliance Professionals (ASAP), the world's leading professional association dedicated to the practice of alliance management, today announced that VMware, the global leader in virtualization and cloud infrastructure, has become a Global Member of the association.

VMware led the server virtualization revolution and helped shape how the IT industry evolved through the years, and today the company is playing a key role in determining where the industry is headed with the software-defined datacenter, the architecture for the cloud. Its proficiency in strategic alliances has been critical in its rapid ascent to a leadership position in the enterprise technology world since its founding in 1998. The company leverages more than 50,000 technology, reseller and service provider partners to achieve core strategic objectives such as revenue growth, product roadmap development and increased efficiency.

Alliances have been embedded into IT business models and culture for many years, and with cloud technologies becoming increasingly woven into the industry's fabric, alliances are more critical than ever. VMware will be able to network with several leading Individual and Corporate ASAP members from the tech industry to exchange knowledge about how to continually advance their alliances to meet the ever-changing dynamics of IT. Moreover, it will be able to equip personnel with alliance management responsibilities with the skills, tools, processes and methodologies to expertly plan and execute strategic partnerships.

"Cloud computing represents a significant shift in how customers consume and manage IT resources, and through our alliances partners, we have been able to deliver customers tools to enable them to transform their IT infrastructure," said Toni Adams, vice president of global channel and alliance marketing, at VMware. "Alliances have always been core to our success, and we aim to utilize ASAP to maintain the very high level of strategic partnership expertise that has helped make us a leader in the tech industry today."

As a Global Member, VMware will have the opportunity to serve in leadership positions within ASAP to help evolve the profession's methods and thinking, and lend its considerable knowledge to the association's membership. The company will also be eligible to allocate a percentage of the total individual memberships that are offered with its Global Membership to employees from its partner organizations. By allowing its partners to experience ASAP benefits, VMware is providing its allies the tools, methodologies, and resources they need to optimize their alliances and hopefully serve as better partners. Moreover, VMware joins a select group of fellow Global Members, which includes several other technology pioneers that, like VMware, have utilized alliance management principles effectively and innovatively to become leaders in the corporate world.

"ASAP has always led the charge in gathering the best-of-the-best in alliance management together to advance the discipline," said Art Canter, president and CEO of ASAP. "We are thrilled to welcome VMware, another alliance management leader and 'partner of choice' in IT, to our community."

About ASAP

The Association of Strategic Alliance Professionals (ASAP) is the only professional association dedicated to elevating and promoting the profession of alliance management. Founded in 1998, the organization provides professional development, networking and resources for cultivating the skills and toolsets needed to manage successful business partnerships. Active global members include Abbott Laboratories, AstraZeneca, CA, Capgemini, Cisco, Citrix, Dell, Eli Lilly and Company, IBM, Juniper Networks, Microsoft, Motorola, Novartis, Quintiles, USAA, Sanofi, SAS, Schneider Electric, Symantec, VMware and Xerox. A complete list of global members is available at http://www.strategic-alliances.org.

ASAP Media, the media and publishing arm of the Association of Strategic Alliance Professionals, is an alliance of ASAP and JW DeWitt Business Communications. For more information, visit http://www.asapmedia.org and http://www.jwdewitt.com.

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Source: Association of Strategic Alliance Professionals