Oracle sets October deadline for Sun partner switch

Oracle has given legacy Sun Microsystems partners until October 16 to join the Oracle Partner Network (OPN) before the company switches over the servers running Sun's Partner Advantage program.

The software company, which acquired Sun Microsystems for US$7.4 billion in January after gaining regulatory approval from the EU, has struggled to bring across many legacy Sun partners to the Oracle fold in the face of efforts by IBM and HP to poach Sun partners and a stated policy at Oracle of taking its largest accounts direct.

Oracle vice-president of alliances and strategy for the Asia Pacific Mark Shapcott told CRN that 70 percent of the combined Oracle/Sun channel had switched to the OPN program, but these are "predominantly existing Oracle partners."

Oracle has now engaged its global call centre to execute an 'outreach program' to legacy Sun partners, to tell them that "now is the time to join the Oracle Partner Network", he said.

"The legacy systems to support Sun partners will be switched over to the Oracle Partner Network by October," he said.

Oracle will then switch off the servers that supported Sun partners - which included log-in areas that hold sales and marketing collateral - and redirect traffic to the OPN.

Because you're special

Oracle is especially motivated to sign up Sun partners to its 'specialised' partner program.

In April, Oracle extended its OPN 'Specialised Program' to both Sun and Oracle partners in an attempt to convince Sun partners of the opportunities available under as an Oracle certified partner.

The vendor has set up in excess of 40 specialisations - each falling within a "knowledge zone" in which sales resources are concentrated around database, middleware, applications, industries, server and storage.

Shapcott said a former Sun partner can sign up immediately as a generic reseller via an online application form, whilst a specialised partner must meet additional criteria.

Oracle will recognise the existing accreditation of staff under the Sun Partner Advantage [SPA] program, but will also seek customer references from Sun partners before it will allow them to join the specialised program.

Without the extra effort to become a specialised partner, a reseller is "no different from hundreds of others," Shapcott said.

The specialised program will help direct Oracle and its customers to Sun partners that have the "skills and competence" around specific technologies, he said, and in turn will provide a reseller access to branding and business referral programs.

There is a market opportunity for Sun partners, Shapcott said, being that there are 350,000 Oracle customers in the world to 35,000 Sun customers.

"The market opportunity to talk about the platform stack to Oracle customers is huge," he said.

"There are specific solutions a Sun partner can get into right now. It's a tactical, real opportunity to talk the complete stack message.

"There are database customers that are not running Sun who are suffering performance issues," Shapcott said as an example. "There are opportunities for those specialised on SPARC to talk about enterprise CRM, there is database consolidation on ZFS storage. There is the Exadata opportunity."

A bright future for Sun partners?

Arguably, the horse had bolted for many Sun partners when Oracle executives announced that the vendor would take the largest 4,000 accounts on the Oracle/Sun books direct.

But Shapcott said that Oracle is simply applying the same channel model to Sun partners as it always used for its software business - namely, that it wants a direct hand in its largest accounts.

But that does not diminish the channel sales opportunity, he said.

"Partners can have a role in these accounts too," he said. "If a partner does provide value to a customer - small or large - they have a role. When your customers want you, we want you.

"Our stated direction is that we will play a big role in some of the large accounts, but we want to continue to work with partners," he said. "The best thing to do for partners is to set expectations."

Local and global networks

Shapcott recommended Sun partners consider attending the upcoming Oracle OpenWorld conference in San Francisco in September, which will be "the first time Sun partners will be in the same room as the rest of the Oracle channel.

"It's a great networking opportunity," he said, particularly for partners with skills in hardware to meet those with skills in software and discuss ways of working together to take solutions to market.

The event includes a 'Partner Day', which in turn includes a regional (Asia Pacific) breakout session.

The conference program indicates that Oracle Group vice president for alliances and channels George Wong will update Oracle/Sun partners on the vendor's FY11 channel strategy at this event.

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