Page 13 - Red Hat PR REPORT - JULY 2025

Press Release

Red Hat boosts partner engagement with program updates and new Partner
Demand Center

July 23, 2025 - Building on our commitment to simplify, empower and grow with our partners, Red Hat is
excited to announce the latest enhancements to our global partner engagement experience. These
updates underscore our ongoing transformation efforts to provide greater simplicity, choice and flexibility
for our valued partner ecosystem.

The epoch-making shift in the technology landscape, fueled by breakthroughs in AI and the dynamic world
of virtualization, is reshaping every industry. Red Hat’s partner ecosystem is pivotal in helping customers
navigate these seismic shifts and capitalize on emerging opportunities, which is why we are continuously
refining Red Hat’s global partner engagement experience with an ecosystem-driven approach to IT
modernization. Our transformation is rooted in three business enablers: a globally unified partner
program, streamlined partner incentives and an enhanced digital experience.

Deepening expertise with Red Hat Specialized Partners

Dr. Stefanie Chiras, Senior Vice President, Partner Ecosystem Success, Red Hat: “We're excited to launch
the Red Hat Specialized Partner Program, formerly piloted as Partner Practice Accelerator, to drive
enhanced industry recognition for validated partners and provide clearer pathways for partners to
develop and showcase skills in high-demand areas that are critical to customer success. The Red Hat
Specialized Partner Program recognizes partners’ deep technical expertise and proven service capabilities
to support the full customer lifecycle, aligning with strategic technologies and streamlining go-to-market
efforts for partners.

With this evolution, Red Hat is extending the available partner specializations beyond Red Hat Ansible
Automation Platform and Red Hat OpenShift to encompass additional products like Red Hat Enterprise
Linux (RHEL) and RHEL AI. Furthermore, the existing specialization for Red Hat OpenShift will be divided
into specific focus areas, including virtualization, containers and application development. Qualifying
partners will be recognized as Red Hat Specialized Partners categorized by their associated technical skills,
such as "Red Hat Specialized Partner - Mission Critical Automation" or "Red Hat Specialized Partner - AI
Platform."

We encourage partners to reach out to their Red Hat partner account managers to explore these new
specialization opportunities and further differentiate themselves as leading service providers for Red Hat
solutions.