Oracle assures channel over future direction

Oracle is seeking to bulk up its local channel following its recent spate of acquisitions.

The move comes as the vendor tries to move itself deeper into the mid-market via targeting its applications at specific verticals and industries.

According to applications channels director, Warren Brugger, the vendor was experiencing massive growth in demand for its applications via the current consolidation and refresh trends.

“The only way we can sustain that growth is via partners with vertical and industry expertise,” he said. “Customers also want to work with fewer vendors and simplify their network architectures.”

The database vendor is seeking to add six additional technology partners of the calibre of Kaz, Alphawest, and Volante to its eight strong direct partner base across A/NZ.

It is also working to add six additional partners, such as Fusion 5, to its 12-strong application-based partner base.

The vendor is also growing its indirect partners under value-added distributors Avnet Partner Solutions, itX and Attain IT.

Despite recent suggestions from former distribution partner, Igatech, that Oracle’s management style was drifting more toward a direct model, technology partners and alliances manager, Fred King, said the vendor was becoming more partner-centric.

“If anything the opposite is true and we have more of a partnering culture,” he said. “We have tripled our channel sales in the last few years.”

Indirect sales were also on the rise, he said, growing from 12 percent of all sales two years ago to around 30 percent currently, King said.

He also pointed to a rise in partner support through recent geographic and vertical territory manager appointments and a push on product implementation training and certification.

In light of Oracle’s recent acquisitions of Siebel, JD Edwards and PeopleSoft, the vendor was also working to gain more focus by segmenting its product suite amongst partners, King said.