Modern partner enablement looks very different from what it used to be. Slide decks, one-off webinars, and static documentation simply don’t meet the needs of today’s partner ecosystem – not when software is more complex, customer expectations are higher, and channel performance has a direct impact on growth.
At Heropa, we’ve seen a clear shift: software vendors want their partners to experience the product. They want partners to have access to training and demos that truly represent their software, while striking a balance between control and autonomy.
This is a space where innovation matters, and it’s at the core of why Heropa was named a finalist in the 2025 ARN Innovation Awards in the Vendor – Homegrown ISV category.
Why Partner Enablement Needed to Change
Partner enablement has become a strategic lever for growth, but most organisations struggle to deliver it effectively at scale. Common challenges include:
- Outdated or inaccurate lab environments
- Manual provisioning and cleanup
- High infrastructure effort and cost
- Limited visibility into partner progress and ROI
These gaps directly impact partner readiness, certification outcomes, and the quality of demos and POCs partners deliver downstream to customers.
Our mission has been to remove this friction through virtual IT labs that support scalable, consistent partner training.
How Heropa Redefined Schneider Electric’s Partner Enablement
Schneider Electric needed a way to train more than 3,000 global partners on their Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM) software.
With Heropa’s partner enablement software, Schneider built a set of reusable lab templates that mirrored real-world deployments. Schneider’s partners could access the same environment from anywhere in the world — securely, on demand, and without IT involvement.
This shift delivered immediate value:
- Automated provisioning of reusable, production-like lab environments eliminated manual effort
- Template management for consistent demos, POCs, and certification scenarios ensured consistency across the partner ecosystem
- Lifecycle policy automation resulting in optimized cloud usage and control spend
- The ability to offer on-demand labs for self-paced partner training
- Better insight into how partners were learning and progressing
Most importantly, it made partner training hands-on, practical, and something partners wanted to engage with.
Innovation That Solves Real Problems
For us, innovation is not about chasing trends or adding unnecessary features. It’s about understanding the real challenges software vendors face, and building technology that makes their work easier, faster, and more effective.
Being named a finalist in the ARN Innovation Awards 2025 reflects this focus.
The Vendor – Homegrown ISV category highlights organisations that deliver meaningful value through practical, scalable innovation — and we’re proud to be recognised alongside so many outstanding technology companies.
Looking Ahead
Partner enablement will continue to evolve, and expectations will only grow. Software vendors will need solutions that support faster onboarding, keep partners engaged, reduce operational overhead and cost, and most importantly, deliver measurable outcomes.
Our commitment is to continue building technology that helps them do exactly that.
Learn more
Read the customer story: Schneider Electric modernises global partner training
Check out our Solution overview: Virtual labs for Partner Enablement
Learn about the awards: ARN Innovation Awards 2025 finalists and award winners
