IBM Extends SMB Program To ISVs

The extended program, called ISV Advantage Initiative, is aimed at helping small ISVs craft solutions to target small- and midsize-business customers, said Mark Hanny, vice president of ISV alliances at IBM. "We need these ISVs to help IBM penetrate that market," Hanny said.

IBM launched SMB Advantage at its PartnerWorld conference here in February as a $500 million investment in enabling the channel to reach the small- to midsize-business market.

To participate in ISV Advantage Initiative, an ISV can contact IBM through its PartnerWorld office, Hanny said. IBM will assess the ISV's application to see if it fits IBM's solution maps, which show what sort of industry-specific solutions the company provides and could identify an area in which a new application could fit well. "We connect with them and help them understand how their solution fits into the industry," he said.

Once an ISV has been identified as a viable candidate, IBM helps it integrate its application with IBM middleware, giving the ISV priority status at IBM's Solution Partnership Centers, of which there are 17 around the world, Hanny said.

At the centers, IBM helps ISVs assess their applications, port them to IBM technology and perform quality and assurance functions to make sure the applications are ready to be sold with other IBM solutions. All of this is free, Hanny said.

IBM also waives the $2,000 charge for its Value Pack support package, with includes free software, education and technical support, Hanny said.

After an ISV's application is ready to go, IBM connects the ISV with local IBM salespeople and solution providers in its region so they can begin co-selling and marketing its product to customers, Hanny said.

"We literally have thousands of people who work in the small- to midsize-business market," Hanny said. "We can connect them to local IBM people to help them sell their applications."

ISVs in the program also can leverage IBM's Value Advantage Plus, a sales incentive that rewards partners when they sell their solutions with IBM software and eServer hardware lines to small- to midsize-business customers.