Docker launches Navigator Partner Program built around AI governance
Docker has launched the Docker Navigator Partner Program, a three-tier partner scheme centered on AI governance. According to Docker, it is meant to help partners answer whether customers can trust, secure and govern AI agents once they move into production.
- Docker launched the Docker Navigator Partner Program with three tiers: Crew, Explorer and Navigator.
- Existing partners enter at their current tier, which is protected until 30 April 2027.
- Until 31 January 2027, approved AI Governance deal registrations earn an extra 10 points of discount, for deals closing by 30 April 2027.
- A new Docker Navigator Partner Portal handles deal registration, free sales certification, MDF requests and tier tracking.
- Docker ties the program to its Blueprint Alliance membership and its focus on isolation, runtime governance and supply chain security for AI agents.
Why Docker built the program around governance
In a post dated Oct 28, 2026, Leon Jones of Docker wrote that almost every partner conversation over the past year has ended in the same place. Customers are moving AI agents out of the lab and into production, and the question shifts from "Can we build this?" to "Can we trust it, secure it, and govern it?" Docker says the partners who can answer the second set of questions are the ones customers keep.
Docker describes its own role as the "Trusted Navigator" for the agentic era. The company argues that identity, observability, supply chain security, MCP gateways, models and clouds are each being built by different vendors, and that enterprises lack a common layer that lets these pieces work together safely. Docker positions itself as the place where agents, models and tools actually run, and sees partners as the way that proposition reaches customers, whether they build technology, run a cloud, deliver services or sell through the channel.
Three tiers: Crew, Explorer and Navigator
The program has three tiers that describe a partner's journey with Docker.
- Crew: the starting point, with the partner signed, onboarded, the portal profile complete and first opportunities registered.
- Explorer: partners that are enabled and certified, and actively selling and co-marketing AI governance solutions with Docker.
- Navigator: the most strategic tier, covering partners that co-sell with Docker, are embedded in joint account plans, co-author reference architectures and lead customers through the agentic era alongside the company.
Existing Docker partners enter at the tier that matches their current status. According to Docker, nothing is taken away, and tiers are protected until 30 April 2027 while the company works with partners on the requirements.
Benefits and the AI Governance Growth Incentive
Docker says the benefits follow one principle: the more a partner invests in a governed AI practice on Docker, the more Docker invests in that partner. At the top tier, benefits include a dedicated partner success manager, joint account planning with quarterly business reviews, deal registration protection, priority access to betas and a quarterly product roadmap briefing. Navigator partners also get co-funded marketing (MDF), joint campaigns, co-published customer stories, speaking slots at Docker events and a seat on the Partner Advisory Board.
On the commercial side, partner-sourced, registered deals earn the highest discount at every tier. From launch until 31 January 2027, every approved AI Governance deal registration earns an additional 10 points on top of the tier discount through the AI Governance Growth Incentive. The deals must close by 30 April 2027.
Partners manage the program through the new Docker Navigator Partner Portal. There they can register deals, take the free Docker Partner Sales Certification, request MDF, download assets and track progress against their tier.
Ecosystem backing and what partners should do now
Docker points to its role in the Blueprint Alliance as evidence of its collaborative approach. The company says it became a founding member in September alongside Okta, AWS, CrowdStrike, Databricks, Google Cloud, Lovable, Proofpoint, Salesforce, ServiceNow, Wiz and Zscaler. The alliance, announced at Oktane in Las Vegas, agreed on a shared architecture for securing AI agents built around four questions: Where are my agents? What can they do? What are they doing? How do I respond? Docker says its part is the environment where agents execute, covering isolation, runtime governance and a secure supply chain.
Datadog and Snyk gave supportive statements. Uday Tennety of Datadog said Docker offers a secure, consistent runtime while Datadog provides visibility into agent behavior in production. Carey Stanton of Snyk said the two companies are enabling teams to run agents in isolated environments with security testing built in from the start.
For partners, Docker lists three actions for this week: log in to the portal and complete the company profile, register AI governance opportunities already in progress so they qualify for the incentive, and book a session with a Docker partner manager to agree an account plan for the first half of 2027. Companies that are not yet partners can start at docker.com/partners/register. Docker acknowledges it is a new program and says it will not be perfect on day one, and it asks partners for feedback.
