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Samrah Khan: How Google and Services Partners Co-Sell and Win in AI
We recorded this conversation at Google’s Palo Alto offices on a quiet Friday that still felt electric with ideas. My guest, Samrah Khan, leads SI Partnering for North America at Google. She has run ISV alliances, industry partnerships, and now the services partner motion that meets customers where they are.
It was a clinic on what “great” looks like right now.
Samrah started with Google Cloud’s three priorities and how partner strategy maps directly to them.
* Priority one is net-new customer acquisition.
* Priority two is winning the AI race by pairing Google’s deep AI stack with partners who bring domain expertise.
* Priority three is consumption and revenue growth, where services partners make value real through implementation and ongoing management.
What stood out was Samrah’s emphasis on pre-sales. The best partners are not only brilliant at delivery. They are in the room early with the account team, shaping business outcomes and solution architecture before a deal closes.
That means real domain fluency in industries like financial services, healthcare, retail, and tech. It also means partners who can talk line-of-business outcomes with credibility, not just technical features.
Samrah believes AI’s impact will surpass the internet and mobile in our lifetimes. That is a big claim, but you can feel the pace change she describes. Offerings that did not exist six weeks ago are already shaping customer roadmaps.
In that world, enablement cycles must compress and partner learning has to be continuous. The partners adapting fastest tend to be more innovative culturally and closer to line-of-business decision makers.
We also dug into the rise of smaller, specialized SIs. With generative and agentic AI, you do not need a massive traditional bench to drive value. You need razor-sharp teams that can land a focused use case in six to ten weeks: internal search, agent assistants, customer service acceleration, employee productivity, or data-driven decision support.
The common denominator is data. Partners with strong data practices and clear security posture are winning because AI value depends on getting the data strategy right first.
Co-innovation is another lever Samrah champions. One path is building domain solutions that use Google’s unique platform capabilities. The other is partner-built IP on Google Cloud.
Samrah shared a financial services example where a partner uses Gemini to modernize mainframe and COBOL code, creating a differentiated story only that partner and Google can tell together.
In healthcare, think compliant data aggregation that gives clinicians a single view with AI summarization. These are not slideware promises. They are production-grade patterns that move the needle.
None of this works without reciprocal investment. Serious partners are standing up a Google Cloud business unit with dedicated sales, alliances governance, solution architects, and field CTOs.
In return, Google aligns internal co-sell teams, engineering, programs, and funding. That includes deal acceleration funds for workshops and POCs, post-sales incentives, and targeted plays for areas like Oracle or VMware on Google Cloud. When the partner commits, Google commits.
Measurement is refreshingly simple. Google looks at which partners help acquire net-new logos, drive AI revenue, and grow consumption. (Aligned with Google Cloud’s goals - how about that!)
On the partner side, services revenue tied to Google is a key health indicator. Clear, shared metrics keep both sides focused on outcomes rather than activity.
We closed with Samrah’s work on representation and opportunity. She serves on the board of Women of MENA in Technology, supporting education, entrepreneurship, mentorship, and networking for an underrepresented community.
She also hosts events with organizations like AnitaB.org to champion women in tech. It is a reminder that ecosystems are built by people, and the strongest ecosystems expand who gets to participate.
If you lead a services practice, Samrah’s blueprint is candid and actionable.
* Specialize by industry and use case.
* Lead with data.
* Invest with Google Cloud.
* Create distinctive IP.
* Measure what matters.
That is how you co-sell, co-innovate, and win in the AI era.
🎙️ Inside Partnering is a podcast for ecosystem builders, alliance leaders, and the people shaping the future of partnerships.
Let’s build the future of partnering — together.
Chapters
00:00 Intro and setup at Google Palo Alto
01:18 Samrah’s role and team scope
02:20 Google Cloud’s three priorities
04:10 Why pre-sales domain expertise wins
06:30 Co-sell as the default GTM
08:40 Building a Google Cloud business unit
11:05 AI pace and partner enablement
13:40 Smaller, specialized SIs in the AI era
16:05 Data strategy and security first
19:15 Co-innovation and partner-built IP
22:40 Funding, programs, and reciprocal investment
24:40 Measuring partner impact
25:56 Women of MENA in Tech and giving back
29:16 Closing
Key Takeaways
Co-sell early with domain experts to shape outcomes
Align to three priorities: net-new, AI revenue, consumption
Land fast AI use cases with a strong data foundation
Stand up a real Google BU and get reciprocal investment
Build differentiated IP on Google Cloud to win deals
Key Quotes
“AI is part of your business strategy, not a separate strategy.”
“What we are selling today did not exist six weeks ago.”
“One plus one equals three when partners build on Google Cloud.”
“Great partners show up in pre-sales with industry depth.”
Final Thoughts
For alliances, SI leaders, and cloud sellers who want practical moves for 2025 AI GTM, this episode is your field guide.
Hashtags
#InsidePartnering #GoogleCloud #Alliances #Partnerships #SystemIntegrators #GenerativeAI #Ecosystem #CoSell #DataStrategy
🎧 Want more conversations like this?
Check out all 90+ episodes at InsidePartnering.com
💌 Subscribe to get new episodes and behind-the-scenes insights: insidepartnering.substack.com
🔗 Follow me on LinkedIn for daily partnership content and guest clips
Know someone I should interview? Just reply here.
Get full access to Inside Partnering at insidepartnering.substack.com/subscribe
View all episodes
By Chip RodgersWe recorded this conversation at Google’s Palo Alto offices on a quiet Friday that still felt electric with ideas. My guest, Samrah Khan, leads SI Partnering for North America at Google. She has run ISV alliances, industry partnerships, and now the services partner motion that meets customers where they are.
It was a clinic on what “great” looks like right now.
Samrah started with Google Cloud’s three priorities and how partner strategy maps directly to them.
* Priority one is net-new customer acquisition.
* Priority two is winning the AI race by pairing Google’s deep AI stack with partners who bring domain expertise.
* Priority three is consumption and revenue growth, where services partners make value real through implementation and ongoing management.
What stood out was Samrah’s emphasis on pre-sales. The best partners are not only brilliant at delivery. They are in the room early with the account team, shaping business outcomes and solution architecture before a deal closes.
That means real domain fluency in industries like financial services, healthcare, retail, and tech. It also means partners who can talk line-of-business outcomes with credibility, not just technical features.
Samrah believes AI’s impact will surpass the internet and mobile in our lifetimes. That is a big claim, but you can feel the pace change she describes. Offerings that did not exist six weeks ago are already shaping customer roadmaps.
In that world, enablement cycles must compress and partner learning has to be continuous. The partners adapting fastest tend to be more innovative culturally and closer to line-of-business decision makers.
We also dug into the rise of smaller, specialized SIs. With generative and agentic AI, you do not need a massive traditional bench to drive value. You need razor-sharp teams that can land a focused use case in six to ten weeks: internal search, agent assistants, customer service acceleration, employee productivity, or data-driven decision support.
The common denominator is data. Partners with strong data practices and clear security posture are winning because AI value depends on getting the data strategy right first.
Co-innovation is another lever Samrah champions. One path is building domain solutions that use Google’s unique platform capabilities. The other is partner-built IP on Google Cloud.
Samrah shared a financial services example where a partner uses Gemini to modernize mainframe and COBOL code, creating a differentiated story only that partner and Google can tell together.
In healthcare, think compliant data aggregation that gives clinicians a single view with AI summarization. These are not slideware promises. They are production-grade patterns that move the needle.
None of this works without reciprocal investment. Serious partners are standing up a Google Cloud business unit with dedicated sales, alliances governance, solution architects, and field CTOs.
In return, Google aligns internal co-sell teams, engineering, programs, and funding. That includes deal acceleration funds for workshops and POCs, post-sales incentives, and targeted plays for areas like Oracle or VMware on Google Cloud. When the partner commits, Google commits.
Measurement is refreshingly simple. Google looks at which partners help acquire net-new logos, drive AI revenue, and grow consumption. (Aligned with Google Cloud’s goals - how about that!)
On the partner side, services revenue tied to Google is a key health indicator. Clear, shared metrics keep both sides focused on outcomes rather than activity.
We closed with Samrah’s work on representation and opportunity. She serves on the board of Women of MENA in Technology, supporting education, entrepreneurship, mentorship, and networking for an underrepresented community.
She also hosts events with organizations like AnitaB.org to champion women in tech. It is a reminder that ecosystems are built by people, and the strongest ecosystems expand who gets to participate.
If you lead a services practice, Samrah’s blueprint is candid and actionable.
* Specialize by industry and use case.
* Lead with data.
* Invest with Google Cloud.
* Create distinctive IP.
* Measure what matters.
That is how you co-sell, co-innovate, and win in the AI era.
🎙️ Inside Partnering is a podcast for ecosystem builders, alliance leaders, and the people shaping the future of partnerships.
Let’s build the future of partnering — together.
Chapters
00:00 Intro and setup at Google Palo Alto
01:18 Samrah’s role and team scope
02:20 Google Cloud’s three priorities
04:10 Why pre-sales domain expertise wins
06:30 Co-sell as the default GTM
08:40 Building a Google Cloud business unit
11:05 AI pace and partner enablement
13:40 Smaller, specialized SIs in the AI era
16:05 Data strategy and security first
19:15 Co-innovation and partner-built IP
22:40 Funding, programs, and reciprocal investment
24:40 Measuring partner impact
25:56 Women of MENA in Tech and giving back
29:16 Closing
Key Takeaways
Co-sell early with domain experts to shape outcomes
Align to three priorities: net-new, AI revenue, consumption
Land fast AI use cases with a strong data foundation
Stand up a real Google BU and get reciprocal investment
Build differentiated IP on Google Cloud to win deals
Key Quotes
“AI is part of your business strategy, not a separate strategy.”
“What we are selling today did not exist six weeks ago.”
“One plus one equals three when partners build on Google Cloud.”
“Great partners show up in pre-sales with industry depth.”
Final Thoughts
For alliances, SI leaders, and cloud sellers who want practical moves for 2025 AI GTM, this episode is your field guide.
Hashtags
#InsidePartnering #GoogleCloud #Alliances #Partnerships #SystemIntegrators #GenerativeAI #Ecosystem #CoSell #DataStrategy
🎧 Want more conversations like this?
Check out all 90+ episodes at InsidePartnering.com
💌 Subscribe to get new episodes and behind-the-scenes insights: insidepartnering.substack.com
🔗 Follow me on LinkedIn for daily partnership content and guest clips
Know someone I should interview? Just reply here.
Get full access to Inside Partnering at insidepartnering.substack.com/subscribe