Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) is just a few weeks away from integrating its Juniper Networks-fueled Networking business into its recently overhauled partner channel program, a move that the vendor’s networking executives view as key to helping it meet robust financial expectations.

Rami Rahim, EVP and GM for HPE Networking, told an audience at the vendor’s recent investor conference that it’s now expecting $800 million in “cost synergies” tied to HPE’s $14 billion acquisition of Juniper Networks. Rahim also bolstered segment-related forecasts over the next several operating years, moves linked to surging AI-related expectations and what the former Juniper Networks CEO said was a continued smooth integration progress.

Much of that growth forecast is expected to come through HPE’s deep channel partner ecosystem and Partner Ready Vantage program, an avenue Juniper Networks’ is set to join beginning November 1. Rahim noted that this “key milestone” has been dubbed “partner day one.”

“Partners drive most of our networking business, and this milestone will enable all 60,000 HPE partners to sell the full networking portfolio through one unified partner program,” Rahim said, adding that prior to the acquisition, “only around 10% of HPE Aruba Networking and Juniper partners overlapped, and so this creates a significant cross-selling opportunity as we bring the combined HPE Networking portfolio to a much broader set of sellers and customers.”

Rahim also noted that a second priority for the partner channel was in completing “our lead-to-cash processes and systems.”

“We're building a modern, single quote-to-cash foundation that will make it easier for customers and partners to do business with us while allowing us to launch new products and operate more efficiently,” Rahim said. “The first phase launches in November with integrated quoting and ordering, and we expect to unify our supply chain processes by the end of 2027, with continued improvements coming throughout 2028.”

Campus, branch first, data center networking to follow

Rahim later noted that the channel program integration opportunity will show first through the vendor’s core campus and branch networking business.

“I believe it starts with campus and branch because much of the Aruba business, which went through the channel, was a campus and branch business and so the opportunity to unlock new partners to sell our campus and branch portfolio across Aruba and Mist is absolutely there, and that's work that's well underway,” Rahim said. “We want to make it absolutely frictionless for all 60,000 partners to sell that broader portfolio.”

Rahim also noted that the channel will open new opportunities for networking in the data center space.

“We want to grow from what is an AIOps, amazing self-driving experience in the campus and branch into the data center. We can absolutely do it. We've already seen elements of that today,” Rahim said. “We haven't even done this yet. It's going to happen in the next few weeks, so the opportunity is still an unlocked opportunity. But when it does happen, when we reduce the friction for our partners and our sellers … to sell the broad portfolio, I expect that the win rate, the cross sell, is only going to grow and contribute to our revenue sharing opportunity. I'm not going to give you a number because it's still very low right now, and it's only going to go up.”

Sujai Hajela, EVP and GM for HPE Networking’s Campus and Branch division, during a one-one-one interview with SDxCentral echoed Rahim’s sentiment that the “partner space is the most critical for campus and branch.”

“We sincerely feel the partner organization is going to be critical,” Hajela said, adding that Juniper Networks’ legacy ecosystem is excited to get its hands on the vendor’s now fortified product portfolio. “We feel that we have the ability to enable that or light up that partner base in a certain way.”

HPE initially unveiled plans to overhaul its partner program in mid-2025, a move designed to bring together previously disparate channels such as HPE Partner Ready and HPE Partner Ready for Networking under a single umbrella. That plan started to unfold late last year in a move that included the launch of its Partner Ready Vantage Program that included new “centers” based on Compute, Hybrid Cloud, and Networking.

However, integration of Juniper Networks’ legacy partner ecosystem was delayed until this year. HPE’s channel partner program has seen some headlines leading up to the change. This includes a move to double partner channel pricing validity from 15 days to 30 day, a move that drew significant applause at the vendor’s HPE Discover event earlier this year, as well as some re-juggling of its channel partner team lineup.