By Tabrez Khan
Enterprise software major Oracle will tap opportunities in tier-2 and tier-3 cities through partners to broaden its coverage in the Indian market. The company will increase its engagement with its existing partners in these cities, and recruit new ones if required under its Remarketer program.
Said Cherian Varghese, Head, Channels, Oracle India, “The tier-2 and tier-3 focus is not new for us. However, since 2009, we have been pursuing it with renewed vigor. We have taken a select set of partners to work on deals where there are not many implementation skills required. We are also training distributors to support partners in these areas. Cities such as Chandigarh, Kochi, Visakhapatnam, Coimbatore and other tier-2 and tier-3 cities will be covered.”
Under the program, any reseller will be able to deal in Oracle’s products, and they will not be required to make any commitments to Oracle in return. According to Varghese, opportunities exist in tier-2 and tier-3 cities across various verticals. “Each tier-2 and tier-3 city has its own characteristics. For instance, Lucknow and Chandigarh have a good base of auto ancillary companies, while in the southern cities and Gujarat manufacturing and textile companies dominate. As these industries expand, companies are feeling the need for advanced IT products including databases, ERP and security solutions.”
The Remarketer program is the lowest level of Oracle’s new OPN Specialized program for partners, which has Silver, Gold and Platinum partners at the upper levels. OPN Specialized stresses on specialization for channel partners within specific areas of Oracle solutions such as Exadata appliances, databases and ERP.
As per Oracle’s classification, Silver partners are those who have elaborate implementation skills and have just joined the OPN program but are not specialized. Gold partners have two or more specializations. At the top, Platinum partners need to have four or more specializations.
Depending on the level under which partners qualify they will have access to support services. For instance, specialization partners will have access to the specialization logo and branding, placement in the solutions catalog on Oracle.com, and advanced training and support. Other support services that will accrue to Silver, Gold and Platinum partners include deal registration, development licenses, Oracle financing and migration resources.
Oracle has also launched a number of partner enablement and training tools including the Programs and Enablements System to apply for specializations online and track their OPN status, an online Partner Ordering Portal, an OPN Enablement Environment, an enhanced solutions catalog and an events calendar. |