ASK CHANNELNOMICS: Alliance or Channel Partnership?

At Channelnomics, we field questions about best practices, partner strategies, and channel programs every day. In this series, called “Ask Channelnomics,” we answer some of the questions we receive most from vendors.
Question: Hey Channelnomics, how do alliances differ from channel partnerships? We’d like to expand the range of companies we engage, including global systems integrators (GSIs), but we want to better understand how their businesses differ.
Answer: Alliance business partners and channel partners serve different purposes and involve different types of collaboration. Consider these basic differences:
STRUCTURE OF RELATIONSHIP
Alliance Partner: This typically involves a strategic collaboration between two companies to achieve a common business goal. This could include joint product development, sharing of resources, or working together on specific projects.
Channel Partner: ...