Sun is replacing its iForceSM Partner Program with the new Sun Partner Advantage Program, whose first phase of implementation will focus on ISVs along with enhancing its offerings to facilitate a stronger working relationship with Sun and expand business opportunities. The implementation of future phases in the Sun Partner Advantage Program will target resellers, system integrators and OEMs.

Taking into account partners' direct feedback, Sun created this new program from the ground up. "From its beginning, Sun has focused on relentless innovation and delivering technologies that ignited the computing industry," said Janet Waxman, vice president at IDC Research. "Sun has taken that same innovative spirit and applied it to the development of the Sun Partner Advantage Program, reinvigorating these partnerships."

The Sun Partner Advantage Program for ISVs leverages a simple, flexible architecture with tiered participation that rewards increased partner commitment with greater investment from Sun. The dynamic program delivers a wide array of base-level offerings, which can be supplemented with higher levels of ISV investment, as well as nomination- and technology-based initiatives, helping ISVs to take advantage of Sun's continuing technological advances and innovative business.

"The dramatic improvements to Sun's partner program give Oracle additional tools and resources that will facilitate the development and marketing of our joint solutions," commented Doug Kennedy, vice president, Worldwide Alliances and Channels, Oracle Corporation.

The Sun Partner Advantage Program gives ISVs the option to choose from over 20 new education, technology, marketing and sales offerings for their business-specific needs. Its initial implementation delivers a comprehensive approach to building, marketing and selling applications for the SolarisTM 10 Operating System (Solaris OS) and other Sun platforms to help partners accelerate time-to-market, expand sales opportunities and increase business growth.

These offerings for ISVs are estimated by Sun to exceed values of USD$250,000 for an annual cost of $495, which will be waived for one year from the program's inception documented as September 7, 2005. "We recently unveiled new branding that signals our renewed focus on Sun's core values," said Stephen Borcich, Sun's vice president, Partner Marketing. "Now we're taking the next step and introducing the Sun Partner Advantage Program, which underscores our commitment to the ISV community by providing them with the resources they need to develop and deploy successful solutions on the Sun platform."

In the near future, Sun plans on unveiling the Sun Partner Advantage Program's vertical-industry track, which will be designed to provide technology, marketing and sales engagement offerings to strategic vertical-industry ISVs. Created to deliver solutions for specific industry needs, this track will allow a few select ISVs to enter the Sun Industry Advantage Program at a higher level of benefits. This program selection will provide additional access to marketing tools, Sun's trained industry sales organization, Industry Customer Excellence Centers and development support. The Industry Advantage Track is expected to be rolled out sometime this year. [...read more...]

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