itX comments on Oracle's acquisition of Sun

Sun is itX's main hardware vendor and has been working with the company for almost 11 years.

Laurie Sellers managing director of itX said it is one of the first geographies in the world to have implemented "COSMOS", Sun's on-line configuration tool.

He said it allows resellers to go online, configure Sun's Volume products and obtain a valid configuration and end-user price and request an electronic quote from itX. It also includes on-line ordering.

"Oracle's offer to acquire Sun Microsystems, is viewed by itX with a lot of positive enthusiasm about the future," he said.

"Our relationship with Oracle actually stretches back even further as we were first appointed as their distributor in 1995.

"We perform similar distribution services for them including; managing their resellers, marketing their products, order vetting and processing and credit management.

"We believe that the eventual combination of Oracle and Sun will create a very powerful portfolio of integrated business solutions which ultimately will present tremendous opportunities within the channel," he added.

Oracle will acquire Sun common stock for US$9.50 per share in cash and will give the company Oracle MySQL, Java and Solaris.

The proposed transaction is subject to Sun stockholder approval, certain regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions. Until the deal closes, each company will continue to operate independently.

It is anticipated to close this summer.

Sellers said there are number of things itX does for Sun;

Its Sun Authorised Distribution Centre (ADC) team provides services to Sun that includes; order vetting and processing, Inventory management, Warehousing, Shipping and Logistics, Credit control and Debt collection.

The Sun Channel Development Provider (CDP) team manages over 90 percent of Sun's resellers throughout Australia. It also runs marketing campaigns based on targeted reward programs that have increased Sun's market share on selected products.

It has also developed and maintains a website providing on-line reporting tools, pricing and stock availability, order tracking, quotations, customer presentation materials, lead tracking from receipt to order, sales training material, technical training material, marketing tools and information and access to Sun's on-line Rental Pool and "Try & Buy" program.

"To facilitate the above services, itX draws upon many years experience of managing these operations for Sun in Australia," said Sellers.

"In fact several of our team members have been working with Sun for as much as 17 years having had several years of previous experience at Mitsui, itX's predecessor in the distribution role." 

In a statement, Andrew Goodlace managing director Sun Microsystems Australasia and Sam Srinivasan partner sales director Sun Microsystems Australasia said;   

'After the closing, Oracle and Sun partners are expected to benefit by working with a single vendor to address customer needs for enterprise systems with complementary solutions that provide an opportunity to increase business value and drive down the total cost of ownership through an integrated, standards-based enterprise product stack'.