SoftwareOne has been named a Select Partner within the OpenAI Partner Network, the partner program OpenAI launched in June for consultancies and integrators to sell and implement its models at enterprises. The Swiss company announced the news on October 5, 2026 from its headquarters in Stans. With this deal, it adds OpenAI to an AI portfolio where it already worked with Microsoft Copilot, Amazon Q, and Google Gemini. The announcement does not disclose figures on customers, investment, or certified professionals.
Key facts about the SoftwareOne-OpenAI partnership in 30 seconds
- SoftwareOne joins the OpenAI Partner Network at the Select tier, the first of the program’s three levels.
- It will offer enterprise consulting and implementation for products such as GPT-6 Astra and ChatGPT Work.
- It will keep working with Microsoft Copilot, Amazon Q, and Google Gemini.
- It highlights its FinOps expertise for controlling AI spend, a growing concern among enterprises.
- The announcement includes no figures on customers, investment, or trained consultants.
SoftwareOne, listed on the Swiss SIX exchange and on Euronext Oslo Børs, is one of the world’s largest resellers and providers of software and cloud services. According to the company, it operates in more than 70 countries and has about 12,000 employees. Its current size is the result of its acquisition of Norway’s Crayon, completed in July 2025, which created a group with roughly CHF 1.6 billion in revenue and about 13,000 employees at the time.
What the OpenAI Partner Network is
OpenAI unveiled its partner network on June 14, 2026 with a $150 million investment and the goal of training and certifying 300,000 consultants by the end of the year. The program has three tiers (Select, Advanced, and Elite) and, according to OpenAI, each one requires greater sales results, technical capability, joint selling, and deployment experience. Later on, partners will be able to earn specializations in areas such as Codex, cybersecurity, or agents.
The network launched with major consultancies such as Accenture, Bain, BCG, McKinsey, and PwC, and its public directory already lists dozens of companies, from integrators like Capgemini, NTT DATA, and Infosys to technology providers such as AWS, Databricks, and Snowflake. In that context, Select is the entry-level tier. The announcement places SoftwareOne within the program, not among its most advanced partners, and at the time of writing the company had not yet appeared in the listing on OpenAI’s program page.
What SoftwareOne will offer with OpenAI
According to the announcement, SoftwareOne will combine OpenAI’s newest products, including GPT-6 Astra and ChatGPT Work, with its own AI, cloud, data, digital workplace, and security services. Its pitch ranges from identifying the highest-value use cases to integrating AI into business processes, with the goal of moving customers from pilot tests to enterprise-scale deployments.
Gudmundur Adalsteinsson, SoftwareOne’s Channel and Ecosystem Director, says the designation reinforces the company’s commitment to turning AI ambition into real business impact. He also explains that adding OpenAI to its capabilities lets it better advise on which tool fits each profile and workload, and argues that, combined with its experience in cloud, data, and workplace transformation, this helps companies adopt AI with confidence.
The company serves small and midsize businesses through its partner channel and serves midsize and large enterprises directly, with a presence in sectors such as public administration, financial services, industry, healthcare, and retail. Unlike other OpenAI partners focused almost exclusively on its technology, SoftwareOne keeps a multi-vendor approach: the announcement itself notes its work with Microsoft Copilot, Amazon Q, and Google Gemini.
The cost of AI, the other selling point
The point that most sets SoftwareOne apart is spend control. The company highlights its experience in FinOps, the discipline of managing cloud costs, and in what it calls AI “tokenomics” — that is, controlling the token consumption billed by language models. It’s an argument consistent with its traditional licensing and software cost-optimization business, and also with a growing concern among enterprises, which are watching their AI bills rise as they move from testing to daily use.
What the announcement doesn’t specify is the real scope of the deal: there are no figures on customers, certified consultants, investment, or ongoing projects, nor are commercial terms detailed. For now, it’s an entry-level recognition within the program, similar to those other consultancies have announced in recent months, amid intense competition among the major model providers for the enterprise market. Major partners such as Accenture have long been operating at a different scale, as shown by its agentic AI deal with OpenAI.
Frequently asked questions
What does it mean to be an OpenAI Select Partner?
It’s the first tier of the OpenAI Partner Network, below Advanced and Elite. It provides access to training, resources, and joint selling with OpenAI to deploy its products at enterprises.
What is the OpenAI Partner Network?
It’s OpenAI’s global partner program, launched in June 2026 with a $150 million investment and the goal of certifying 300,000 consultants by the end of the year.
Does SoftwareOne stop working with Microsoft, Google, or Amazon?
No. According to the company, it continues helping its customers adopt Microsoft Copilot, Amazon Q, and Google Gemini, and is adding OpenAI to that offering.
What is SoftwareOne?
It’s a Swiss software and cloud services provider and distributor, present in more than 70 countries with about 12,000 employees after integrating Crayon in 2025.
