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Sun harvests cream of CROP: new programs announced at vendor's annual partner summit

SAN DIEGO -- Sun Microsystems Inc.'s Canadian subsidiary has launched new program enhancements to ensure partners' continued business growth, particularly in the mid-market space. The announcements were made to VARs attending this year's iForce Partner Summit, which attracted 1,500 partners to the four-day conference.

The first program enhancement, titled, "Volume Competency," is an entry-level accreditation that enables iForce partners to sell Sun's hardware, software and services including x86 products, SunRays, Sun Workstations, UltraSPARC servers (I to V), selected Sun StorEdge servers and some Spectrum Instant Upgrade services aimed at Canada's mid-market.

The program will only be available to partners who are certified in one of the following: IBM AIX (RS6000/pSeries Servers), HP-UX (HP9000), SuSe Linux, Red Hat Linux, Comp TIA Linux or Sun Solaris. Newly accredited partners can increase their revenue opportunities and receive benefits available to Workgroup or Enterprise accredited iForce Technology Integrator Partners including co-op market development funds, rebates, and recognition and loyalty programs.

Sun Canada also announced Canadian Registry of Opportunities Program (CROP) to encourage iForce partners to expand their reach into vertical markets including life sciences, manufacturing, retail and distribution. Partners who address customers' demands in these targeted verticals will also be rewarded with rebates.

Richard Severa, president of distributor Arrow Moca said the program announcements "solidify the alignment with Sun with a strategy that is Canadian as opposed to a North American approach." Severa added the total available market here is different than the U.S. in terms of demographics. "In the U.S., it's a free-for-all for the channel whereas you don't have nearly as many voices in Canada."

Xwave was one of the first partners to embrace CROP since it was introduced in January. Barry Fitzgerald, company director of Sun business practice, said the program is a "good marriage for Sun and its partners." "We know our bottom line today. We've spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in training sales execs. It makes the company feel comfortably protected in delivering the solution."

These announcements are part of Sun Canada's continuing effort to strengthen its channel. Three years ago Sun Canada cut the number of channel partners in half, switching to a smaller partner community focus with less competition. The decision seems to have paid off. A recent study by a major research firm showed a significant improvement in areas including overall channel satisfaction, willingness of partners to recommend Sun to other business partners and to maintain or move more business to Sun in the coming years.

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IDC Canada's Channel Satisfaction survey, which was conducted in late 2003, suggests partners are loyal to Sun, and satisfaction ratings have gone from low to high, especially among channel partners with assigned direct support to another category. "One year ago, partners were unhappy with the channel," said Brad Keates, Sun Canada's vice-president of channel and mid-market. "In 2004, we focused on how to make a healthy channel." While Sun Canada has improved its channel satisfactory rate among partners, the study also showed weaker scores in training. Keates said the annual partner event is a good opportunity to let partners know where the company has been and where its headed in the upcoming fiscal year.

"We're trying to create positive momentum," he said, comparing how Sun deals with its partners today versus a few years ago. "In the past, we said, 'If I suffer, you suffer too.'"

Cheryl Kelly, director of iForce for Sun Microsystems, said Canada is an important region from a global marketing perspective. "In terms of localization, it's a different set of partners with a different set of needs. At the local level we can build with different partners, but the proof of concept remains the same."