IBM pairing ISVs, VARs

IBM is playing matchmaker for US ISVs looking for hardware VARs.

The technology giant has launched a Virtual Innovation Center for Hardware (VICH), a web-based portal that can point ISVs in the direction of a suitable hardware collaborator, said Scott Hebner, vice-president of strategy and marketing development for IBM.

IBM claimed the VICH would make it easier for ISVs who want to take advantage of an opportunity in a certain industry vertical or geographic region to couple with an IBM-certified hardware VAR with expertise in that vertical market or proximity to the required region, Hebner said.

"We are essentially becoming a dating service," said Hebner.

Hebner agreed the VICH breeds more IBM-centric deployments.

For example, the VICH offered 18 new How-To Guides For Business Partners, which delivered instructions on how to develop, enable and implement an ISV's application along the lines of IBM's technology roadmap.

The guides included the porting of Windows, Linux or Unix applications to Linux on IBM's Power-based systems, the tuning of AIX-based applications for IBM eServer p5 systems, and details as to how to market IBM iSeries solutions.

Other IBM technical and collateral resources were also available through the VICH, such as IBM's Virtual Loaner Program which provided either free or low-cost IBM hardware for application testing environments.

Also available was a new Solution Sizing Toolkit which used an interactive, web-based questionnaire to help ISVs determine optimal system configurations for their applications based on specific workloads, according to IBM.

Any ISV could use the VICH to locate hardware VARs, said Hebner.

"We believe there are thousands of these specialised ISVs out there looking to link with suppliers who can help them advance their software," said Hebner.

"We think the [VICH] lowers the bar for ISVs to get involved with us. And it gives ISVs an extended reseller network for their products."

Bill Whalen, head of sales and marketing at RJS Software Systems, a US ISV, had given the VICH a testdrive, and had a deal pending with a hardware VAR as a result. But Whalen was a bit sceptical at first.

"[The VICH] is kind of like a sales registration tool. And a lot of partners in know in the channel were worried IBM's direct sales guys would see the leads and jump on the customers first. But that hasn't happened. It's more of just a common place to connect with IBM hardware people who can tie you with someone who's in an account and can assist you in closing deals," said Whalen.

The challenge RJS put to the VICH was finding a certain breed of hardware reseller, said Whalen.

"We were looking for a specific [type of] reseller, more of an imaging hardware partner because our software package is an imaging product. We got two names, and the opportunity is still outstanding. But the interesting thing is that during the process I also learned who I'm competing against," said Whalen.

At least one ISV, Netcom Systems, has even found a way to promote its products using the VICH.

"We use the [VICH] as a way to market our products," said Scott Jones, account executive at Netcom.

"We built NIMA (Netcom Item Manager Application) which sits on IBM WebSphere Business Integration Express Plus for item synchronisation. We use the [VICH] to let other IBM partner know about NIMA. Now all the partners know what we have is part of the IBM puzzle," he said.