According to CRN, Salesforce is readying a massive overhaul of its partner program, with plans to launch it early in its 2027 fiscal year, which begins February 1. The changes, led by Senior VP Phil Samenuk, are the biggest in a decade and include introducing an annual review process to ensure partners maintain certifications and deliver customer outcomes. The vendor, which boasts an ecosystem of over 16,000 partners and more than 165,000 AI-certified experts, will also “triple down” on enablement and evolve its incentives model. The move comes as partners are already leading over 50% of Agentforce client engagements, with 72% of customers continuing to actively use AI agents after a partner-led implementation.
The Annual Review Reckoning
So, annual reviews for partners. That’s the headline grabber here, and it’s a big shift. Salesforce wants to check up on certifications, project submissions, and what kind of leads are being worked. Partners who don’t meet the bar get a chance to fix things, but the message is clear: step up or potentially step out. Samenuk frames this entirely around “trust,” which is smart PR. But let’s be real—this is also about control and quality assurance in a sprawling, 16,000-partner ecosystem. Can they really manage that many annual check-ins without it becoming a bureaucratic nightmare? That’s the operational challenge. They’re betting that in the “agentic AI era,” having certified, competent partners is non-negotiable. And honestly, they’re probably right.
Enablement and the AI Push
The other pillar is this huge focus on enablement. Salesforce isn’t just throwing partners at AI; they’re promising deeper training on industry-specific knowledge, architecture, and integration. That’s crucial. Anyone can get a basic AI certification, but building real, complex, business-outcome-driven solutions on a platform as vast as Salesforce? That requires serious expertise. The promise of better access to product teams and roadmaps is also a big carrot for top-tier partners. It signals a move away from a purely volume-based channel to one that rewards depth and strategic alignment. Basically, they need their partners to be true extensions of Salesforce, especially when competitors like ServiceNow are making similar AI-centric channel moves.
The Bigger Picture and What It Means
Here’s the thing: this isn’t happening in a vacuum. CRN notes that January 2026 saw a flurry of program updates from Google Cloud, Cisco, Extreme Networks, and ServiceNow. It feels like every major platform vendor is tightening the ship and aligning their channels for the next phase of enterprise tech. For partners, the era of easy money through simple reselling is long gone. The value is in implementation, integration, and industry specialization. Salesforce’s revamp is a direct reflection of that. It’s a “net good thing” for customers, as Samenuk says, if it leads to better outcomes. But for partners, it means more homework, more compliance, and a need to constantly prove their worth. The opportunity is there, but the bar is officially being raised.
