Confluent launches partner programme to boost data streaming use cases

Confluent has launched a new partner programme aimed at helping system integrators expedite the development and marketing of data streaming use cases. Named 'Build with Confluent', the initiative includes specialised software bundles, a certification programme, and access to sales and marketing resources to support partners in implementing and optimising solutions based on their target audiences' needs.

The programme is designed to help partners bring data streaming use cases to market more swiftly. Use cases include applications like fraud detection for AI-powered voice phishing and real-time telemetry analysis for freight optimisation. Key features of the programme include specialised software bundles that allow partners to deploy solutions more rapidly, a certification programme to validate and fine-tune these solutions, and access to Confluent's Go-To-Market (GTM) teams to increase market visibility.

According to Confluent's Data Streaming report, 86% of IT leaders regard data streaming as a priority investment for 2024. Data streaming technologies enable real-time customer experiences and applications, making them essential for business success across various industries. However, system integrators have encountered challenges in creating comprehensive data streaming solutions due to limitations in resources and expertise. Build with Confluent aims to address these gaps by sharing extensive data streaming expertise with partners.

Paul Mac Farland, Senior Vice President of Partner and Innovation Ecosystem at Confluent, stated, "We are sharing tens of millions of hours of collective data streaming expertise with partners to help them deliver real-time solutions that transform customers' businesses. Through Build with Confluent, we will support their solutions as if they were built by our own team."

As part of the broader Accelerate with Confluent programme, partners can deepen collaborations to expand their businesses, explore new growth opportunities, and reach a wider audience. Features like Connect with Confluent facilitate native integrations, while the Migration Accelerator assists customers in transitioning from traditional messaging systems and Apache Kafka.

During the programme's early access phase, several real-time streaming solutions were developed, including a GenAI bot for airline customer support and automatic credit card limit increases. These initial projects demonstrate the potential for further data streaming innovations as partners combine their expertise with Confluent's platform.

The Build with Confluent programme offers several benefits to its partners:

• Specialised software bundles: These provide pre-packaged code for common data streaming use cases, enabling partners to develop specialised offerings without starting from scratch.
• Certification programme: Confluent will help fine-tune and validate partners' solutions, ensuring they meet customer needs and maximise the platform's potential.
• Access to sales and marketing resources: GTM teams will assist partners in discovering new customers and increasing market visibility for their solutions.

Several partners have already highlighted the programme's benefits. Thomas Lo, Co-founder of GoodLabs Studio, mentioned launching a Haystack Vishing AI Penetration Test for banks to combat AI voice deepfake fraud. "Through our Build with Confluent offering, we leverage Confluent Cloud and Flink to rigorously test banks' voice biometrics protection, ensuring banks can validate customer authenticity quickly," he said.

Alex Piermatteo, Associate Partner at Data Reply, noted the programme's role in developing a comprehensive telemetry platform for IoT data. He stated, "Our platform enables real-time monitoring for IoT devices, providing long-term storage for data analysis and exploration, which offers valuable insights for manufacturing and automotive industries."

Punsiri Amatyakul, Executive Consultant at MFEC Public Company Limited, emphasised the programme's impact on retail inventory management, explaining how they developed a real-time visualisation dashboard integrating inventory data from various sources to aid vital business decision-making.