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Sun partners want clarity from Oracle
Partners of Sun are a worried lot. Their Sun business has come to a standstill thanks to the consistent campaign by competing vendors among customers that it is futile to invest in Sun solutions, as post-integration with Oracle the hardware business will either be liquidated or simply be shut down. This has led to customers shying away from purchasing Sun products.
“We have lost two large deals as the customers weren’t sure about the fate of Sun after its merger with Oracle. They didn’t want to make a large investment in a company whose future wasn’t clear,” says a Sun partner, seeking anonymity.
Oracle and Sun have both said publicly that they have no plans to sell off the hardware business. “While that may be true, what matters is how effectively they are communicating this message to the customers and channels. The Sun channel team has been nice and supportive of the channel; however they themselves have no clear idea about how the merger and integration will pan out. Oracle is not speaking at all,” said another Sun partner.
Partners say that they will wait for clarity from Oracle over the next couple of months, which if not forthcoming, they might quit doing Sun business.
Swaminathan’s exit flares speculation
Following the exit of HP’s PSG chief Ravi Swaminathan, speculation is rife about who will take his job. A name that is consistently doing the rounds is that of ex-Microsoft veteran Rajiv Srivastava. The logic is Srivastava was close to Neelam Dhawan, while she was at Microsoft.
However, there is another section that wants an insider to be promoted to Swaminathan’s role. It will be interesting to see who finally takes over from the illustrious Ravi Swaminathan. Whoever may take over, it will indeed be a tall order to fill his shoes. |