Confluent’s New OEM Program Boosts Partner Ecosystem

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Data streaming technology leader Confluent has introduced a new OEM channel program aimed at expanding its market reach. The program invites managed service providers, cloud service providers, and independent software vendors to integrate Confluent’s platform into their own software and service offerings.

Participants in the program will receive a global license to redistribute or embed Confluent’s technology. Additionally, they will have access to design reviews, development assistance, product certification, technical support, and other valuable resources.

Strengthening the ecosystem

To further strengthen its ecosystem, Confluent has also announced investments in two regional systems integrators, Onibex and Psyncopate. These companies specialize in data integration and system migration services centered around the Confluent data streaming platform. While the specific investment amounts were not disclosed, this strategic move underscores Confluent’s emphasis on supporting its partners and driving adoption of its technology.

The growing demand for data streaming

“As data-driven technologies like GenAI become essential to enterprise operations, conversation has shifted from ‘if’ or ‘when’ a business will need data streaming to ‘what’s the fastest, most cost-effective way to get started?’” said Kamal Brar, senior vice president, worldwide ISV and APAC, Confluent in a press release.

“We help our partners unlock new revenue streams by meeting the growing demand for real-time data within every region they serve. Confluent offers the fastest route to delivering enterprise-grade data streaming, enabling partners to accelerate service delivery, reduce support costs, and minimize overall complexity and risk.”

The need for real-time data has made data streaming a must-have for businesses today. According to recent research by ISG Software, more than  three-quarters of companies will be using streaming data and event processing by 2026. To meet this demand, teams often turn to popular open-source tools like Kafka and Flink.

The challenges of self-managing data streaming

Here’s the catch, though – building and maintaining these tools yourself, especially at a big scale, can be a real headache. It can take more than two years to get a Kafka platform up and running, and the ongoing costs can easily hit millions of dollars per year. Over time, using open-source Kafka and Flink can also drain your engineering team, making it harder to focus on what really matters: outdoing your competitors.

The Confluent OEM Program takes the hassle out of managing open-source data streaming tools like Kafka and Flink. Instead of dealing with all the technical aspects, managed service providers and cloud service providers can simply offer Confluent’s complete platform. This makes it easier for MSPs to take on more projects in areas like AI, real-time analytics, and modernizing applications.

Independent software vendors can integrate Confluent’s technology into their products to offer customers modern experiences powered by real-time data. Confluent simplifies data streaming by handling complex technical tasks, allowing businesses to focus on delivering value. Additionally, Confluent provides secure data access across various environments, including on-premises, edge, and cloud deployments.

OEM Program benefits include:

• Expert guidance: Build data streaming offerings with Confluent’s experienced team.
• Fast results: Get to market quickly with a complete platform.
• Credibility: Launch confidently with Confluent certification.
• Flexibility: Choose commercial terms that fit your business.
• Support: Get expert help for any customer questions or issues.

Dongliang Guo, vice president of international business, head of international products and solutions at Alibaba Cloud Intelligence is one of Confluent’s launch partners. He says that customer demand for data streaming has skyrocketed as businesses strive for a competitive edge through application modernization, real-time analytics.

“With Confluent, we were able to deliver a complete, enterprise-grade Apache Kafka managed service on Alibaba Cloud with minimal time and engineering effort,” he said. “Partnering with Confluent, the leading Kafka experts, allowed us to quickly unlock new business potential in Asia Pacific while lessening the costs and complications typically associated with launching a new service.”

Launch partner Dinesh Rao, EVP and co-head of delivery at Infosys also chimed in on the benefits.

“Businesses undergoing digital transformations rely on Infosys for technologies that meet rigorous enterprise requirements and ensure long-term success. By leveraging Confluent’s advanced data streaming solutions, we can complete customer projects more efficiently, with minimized risk and reduced costs.”

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