Moving to IBM Partner Programs
Any SoftLayer Partner that signed the following agreements before May 2021 is required to sign an IBM® Partner Agreement and create a new IBM order by 31 October 2024:
- SoftLayer Reseller Agreement
- Federal Resell Program Addendum
- SoftLayer Solution & Service Provider Attachment (SSSPA) to the CSA
- IBM Cloud Enterprise Service Agreement (ESA) Click & Accept
Moving to IBM Partner Programs requires a new IBM Resell or ESA order. All IBM Business Partners are required to join IBM Partner Plus. Moving your SoftLayer account or accounts to IBM requires ordering a new commitment with IBM Cloud Sales, but your resources and account structure remain unchanged.
Direct accounts must pay all invoices in full before you can move to IBM Partner Programs. To pay your invoice in the IBM Cloud console, go to Manage > Billing and usage, and select Payments. Review the following sections to understand the changes that apply to partners.
Before you begin
- All usage will be billed one month in arrears. For example, all classic and platform usage that you consume in the month of June is invoiced in July. A single, consolidated invoice for one month of usage is issued on the 8th of the following month.
- During the transition to this new billing cycle, you might see prorated charges for services that were billed on different schedules. For example, you might have monthly infrastructure services that are billed in advance, hourly usage products that are billed one month in arrears, or platform resources that are billed two months in arrears. The new billing cycle aligns all services to a one-month in arrears model.
- The company name that is displayed on your credit card statement is changing.
- All usage information will be available on the billing and usage dashboard in the IBM Cloud® console. Your old experience doesn't include a consilidated view of your platform and classic infrastructure usage.
For more information, review the updates to the invoicing schedule and format, how to view your detailed billing, and where to find your new invoices.
Your new partnership
The following table maps your SoftLayer Partner account type to the equivalent IBM Partner relationship and account type:
| SoftLayer account | IBM Partner relationship | IBM account |
|---|---|---|
| Child account in a SoftLayer Partner hierarchy | Cloud Marketplace Reseller (CMR) [1] | Enterprise Savings Plan or Pay-As-You-Go |
| SoftLayer Partner Build Account [2] | Cloud Direct ESA | Enterprise Savings Plan |
| Child account with internal usage | Cloud Direct Client | Enterprise Savings Plan or Pay-As-You-Go |
Resellers
SoftLayer Resellers or partners of SoftLayer Resellers can apply to become an IBM Cloud Marketplace Reseller and continue to support end customers. For more information, see the CMR agreement.
Cloud Marketplace Resellers can work with an IBM Cloud Sales representative to migrate your account hierarchy during your move to IBM Partner Programs.
Cloud Direct ESA
SoftLayer Business Partners or Direct customers can apply to become an IBM Cloud Build Partner. As an IBM Cloud Build Partner, you have access to IBM Cloud’s Cloud Service offering portfolio to develop, market, and manage your own branded solutions by providing significant value-add, including your own business outcomes, capabilities, processes, and applications (IP) integrated with the IBM Cloud offerings.
Discounts
All discounts on all services are removed as part of the move to IBM Partner Programs. You can negotiate discounts as part of the order process.
Credits
If you have remaining flex credits and promo credits in an account, they are added to your new account after your move to IBM Partner Programs.
Support entitlements
If you have remaining support entitlements in an account, they are added to your new account after your move to IBM Partner Programs.