Comparison
VAR Conduit vs PRM.
A PRM runs your partner program. VAR Conduit is the intelligence layer over the accounts, people, and intent across the resellers you already sell through. Different jobs — and they fit together.
The honest version
Two different jobs.
VAR Conduit
Know your channel.
The intelligence layer for the vendor. A clean, searchable org tree of every VAR you sell through, your buyer-intent overlaid on the accounts you own, and a short list of the in-market accounts actually worth a rep's time — plus who at CDW or SHI covers each one. Live on your own data, fast.
Traditional PRM
Run your partner program.
The system of record for the partner relationship — partner portals, onboarding and training, deal registration, MDF and co-marketing, tiering and program management. Tools like Impartner, Allbound, ZINFI, Channeltivity. Essential if you run a formal program; a months-long implementation, and not where account-level intelligence lives.
They're complementary, not competitors. A PRM manages the partners; VAR Conduit tells you which accounts you own across them and where the intent is. Plenty of vendors run a PRM and still can't answer that second question.
Side by side
What each one does.
| Capability | VAR Conduit | Traditional PRM |
|---|---|---|
| Core question it answers | “Which in-market accounts do I own across my VARs — and who covers them?” | “How do I run and grow my partner program?” |
| Clean org tree of each VAR (RVPs → AEs → SEs) | ||
| Cross-reference the same rep across multiple VARs | ||
| Buyer-intent overlay (Bombora / 6sense / ABX) on accounts | ||
| Account coverage + white-space across your channel | ||
| One-click QBR brief per reseller | ||
| Partner portal, onboarding & training | ||
| Deal registration | ||
| MDF / co-marketing funds | ||
| Partner tiering & program management | ||
| Who it's for | Channel ops & leaders who want visibility | Partner-program managers |
| Time to first value | Fast — on your real data | Weeks to months to implement |
Which do you need
Use the right layer.
If you need to onboard partners, register deals, and hand out MDF — that's a PRM. If you need to see the accounts and people you already own across your VARs, with intent on top, and act on the ones in-market — that's VAR Conduit. Most channel teams feel the second gap long before they're ready for a full PRM, because the data they need is sitting in spreadsheets and an intent tool that never talk to each other.
See your channel on your data.
Bring a CSV of your VAR contacts and your latest intent export — we'll show you the high-intent accounts you already own across your channel, and who covers them.