Zyxel UK launches dedicated Education Partner Programme

Zyxel, the leading provider of networking, security and cloud-based management solutions, is launching an Education Partner Programme offering managed services providers (MSPs) that are focused on the sector dedicated pre- and post-sales support, and access to exclusive benefits.

As well as discounts, special bid support and extended licences that are available exclusively to education through partners, Zyxel is offering tailored sales, marketing and technical support to partners who engage on the programme. There will be a strong focus on supporting partners in driving sales to institutions that will benefit from the government’s plans to ensure every school in the UK will have access to high-speed Internet by 2025. As part of this, £150 million of funding will be provided to support schools most in need to upgrade their WiFi connections over the next three years. 

Another key element of Zyxel’s value proposition for education is its Nebula cloud management platform, which is already popular with schools and trusts. Zyxel will be providing focused education and support on the platform, which can now be used to configure and monitor more than 80 Zyxel devices remotely. The success of the Nebula has helped Zyxel’s MSP partners drive significant growth. Year-on-year sales through MSPs were up by more than 80 percent in calendar 2021, and Q1 sales in 2022 increased by more than 200 percent, compared to Q1 of 2021. 

Rachel Rothwell, Regional Director for the UK and Ireland at Zyxel, stated:

“The network is critical to the delivery of the curriculum in schools today, and supports every element of the learning process and experience. We have been working with partners, making sure that our products meet DfE requirements, and taking extensive feedback from both partners and schools on what they really need from their infrastructure and managed services suppliers. 

“Sales to education have been growing and our MSP partners and they have enjoyed tremendous success with our Nebula cloud management platform. We want to build on that by identifying and on-boarding a group of partners who are ready and eager to work with us, to grow their education business and deliver the service and support that schools and trusts need.”

Through its heightened engagement in the education sector with MSP partners, Zyxel identified that there was a need to provide additional structure to support relationships. 

“Education is a competitive landscape and we needed to give partners a really solid proposition that they could take into schools. We worked alongside them to engage with the DfE to make sure that our solutions were fit for purpose for the sector – and that our SMB partners could be competitive with what some of the bigger competitors could offer.”

She emphasised that Zyxel would be seeking to recruit committed partners who want to work in partnership. “We are looking for partners to work with us and build relationships. It’s really about supporting them in delivering what schools and trusts need. It’s about quality and value, working and evolving together, and delivering what schools need in the long term.”