NETGEAR has launched a new technical enablement hub for its channel partners, aiming to transform how managed service providers, value-added resellers and installers access engineering expertise and peer support. The initiative, called Connected Crew, is the latest move in the company’s broader push to reposition itself as a serious player in enterprise networking, particularly among small and medium-sized businesses.
Connected Crew is designed as a single point of contact for partners who need rapid help with configuration, troubleshooting or deployment. The programme puts them directly in touch with NETGEAR system engineers, provides access to dedicated discussion forums where seasoned professionals share advice, and offers training resources to deepen technical knowledge. According to Luca Marinelli, Head of Europe at NETGEAR, the aim is to reduce downtime, speed up deployments and give partners the confidence to manage even the most challenging networks. “Rapid access to technical expertise can make all the difference to a successful business outcome,” he said.
The scheme is led by engineers with deep knowledge across NETGEAR’s full product portfolio, including Pro AV, wireless, switching and storage solutions. That breadth is intended to help partners adopt repeatable configurations for common deployment scenarios and validate design choices against real-world best practice. By making implementation more straightforward, NETGEAR says the programme should also cut the need for repeated site visits. Engineers will keep partners updated as networking requirements evolve, building what the company describes as close working relationships with individual customers’ network architectures.
Strategic context: the DRIVE programme and enterprise shift
Connected Crew does not exist in isolation. It is an integral part of the NETGEAR DRIVE Partner Success Program, a reimagined global channel programme that launched in November 2025. DRIVE introduced three tiers — IGNITE, APEX and APEX MSP — each tailored to different partner capabilities and business models. Benefits are based on investment, training and certifications. Existing NETGEAR partners were transitioned to the new structure by 1 January 2026. The programme is designed to reward service excellence and long-term co-investment, offering co-marketing opportunities, certification programmes, sales resources and a new partner portal.
The launch of Connected Crew also reflects a strategic realignment that began last year. In October 2025, NETGEAR appointed Luca Marinelli as Head of Europe, Enterprise Sales and Channel Management, with a remit to develop the enterprise customer portfolio and strengthen the European channel, especially the MSP ecosystem. Marinelli brings extensive experience from senior roles at companies including Citrix, Microsoft, Cisco, Exclusive Networks, Check Point and Alludo. His appointment signals NETGEAR’s determination to push beyond its strong consumer brand and be taken seriously as an enterprise company — a message the company has been actively promoting.
As part of that push, NETGEAR has been reinforcing its position in the Audio-Visual over Internet Protocol (AV-over-IP) market, where it claims a comprehensive portfolio and partnerships with more than 400 industry players. The Connected Crew engineers are well placed to support this area, given their expertise across NETGEAR’s Pro AV switching range — the M4250, M4300, M4350 and M4500 series — which supports speeds from 1 Gigabit up to 100 Gigabits per port and key protocols such as SDVoE, Dante, NDI, AES67, SMPTE ST 2110, IPMX and AVB. NETGEAR also offers free design services for partners planning AV-over-IP solutions, a feature that dovetails with Connected Crew’s hands-on support.
Membership tiers, peer networks and wider support ecosystem
As partners engage with Connected Crew, they can advance through membership tiers called crew levels, unlocking benefits such as recognition, invitations to exclusive events and early access to opportunities like beta programmes. The forum-based peer network is a core element, offering advice on everything from configuring and managing networks and troubleshooting complex environments to securing multi-site connectivity.
The initiative is one of several recent moves by NETGEAR to deepen its support for business customers. In April 2026, the company launched NETGEAR Premium Services & Support, a tiered offering (Sprint, Overdrive, Fastlane) that includes deployment assistance, event support, health checks, interoperability validation and custom training. The company’s cloud-based remote management system, NETGEAR Insight, already allows partners to manage multiple customer networks from a single dashboard. And the NETGEAR Academy provides training and certification programmes for partners. All of these are underpinned by NETGEAR’s investment in cybersecurity, including the acquisition of Exium’s SASE Security solutions, and the rebranding of its SMB division as “NETGEAR for Business” to reflect a broader scope.
NETGEAR’s wireless offering also benefits from the new support structure. The Pro WiFi range, including WiFi 6/6E access points, is backed by a separate Pro WiFi Partner Programme that offers four years of Insight Pro/Support, project margin support, exclusive products and access to the NETGEAR Pro WiFi design team. Connected Crew engineers will be able to guide partners through the growing complexity of high-density and video-conferencing deployments.
The company is positioning its channel support as a differentiator in a competitive market. It points to three decades of experience and its recognition as one of “The Most Trustworthy Companies in America” for 2025 as evidence of reliability. With the Connected Crew, NETGEAR is betting that direct access to its engineering brain trust, combined with the structure of the DRIVE programme, will give partners — and their customers — a level of technical confidence that simpler support models cannot match.
