Google Inc. has announced that it is enhancing its cloud partner program to make it easier for partners to build products seamlessly across its range of offerings.

At the top of the list is the introduction of Google Cloud Partner Specializations, a new program that identifies partners via their specialties to make it easier for customers to recognize partners with deep technical expertise in a particular vertical industry. At launch, there are four specialties: application development, data analytics, machine learning and infrastructure.

Changes to Google Cloud’s Authorized Training Partner Program will provide training partners the ability to offer hands-on labs and comprehensive utilizing the technology Google obtained when it acquired cloud learning platform provider Qwiklabs in November.

To encourage partners to contribute more to the cloud ecosystem, Google is increasing their investment in existing partner incentive programs. It’s also introducing new incentives to support the entire customer lifecycle, including making capital investment available to qualified partners in the form of low-interest loans, enabling partners to use funds for early-stage strategy workshops, and expanding their rebates program to include all Premier G Suite and Premier GCP Reselling Partners.

“Our partnering philosophy is driven by a set of principles that emphasize openness, innovation, fairness, transparency and shared success in the cloud market,” Google Cloud’s Bertrand Yansouni and Nan Boden said in a blog post. “Google’s commitment to this proposition has never been stronger.”

The move by Google to introduce enhance its partner program and to invest more money in supporting its partners is an effort to increase its cloud offering in the face of stiff competition. Amazon Web Services dominates the market with a first-mover advantage that continues to serve it well to this day. It holds a 57 percent market share to Microsoft Corp.’s 34 percent, with Google Cloud sitting in third place at 15 percent.

Partner programs are not only vital to keeping existing customers but also increasing market share. “They effectively deliver incentives to the companies that deliver them new accounts and facilitate increased cloud usage at existing ones,” Cloud Sprawl said in a report that explored the ways that Google, Microsoft and Amazon.com Inc. are using the programs to attract customers. “The potential to drive additional revenue and deliver additional capabilities to end users has many cloud providers looking to ramp up, expand or implement programs to recognize and reward their service provider and technology partners.”

Despite Google’s latest efforts, competition remains fierce, not only in partner programs but on price as well. The battle ahead will be a long one for a company that has otherwise dominated other markets.

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