IBM To Require Partner Certification To Resell Lotus Notes, Domino
IBM will require training and certification for resellers of a number of the vendor's Lotus messaging and collaboration products, channel partners were told Monday at the annual Lotusphere conference.
IBM also said it is launching a "Social Business Authorization" initiative under which solution providers who demonstrate expertise in helping customers implement and use social networking technology can earn margins up to 15 percent higher.
"The opportunity here is huge for partners," said Sandy Carter, vice president for social business evangelism, in an interview prior to Lotusphere. IBM has cited IDC forecasts that say the worldwide market for social networking platforms is expected to triple from $630 million this year to $1.86 billion by 2014.
About 900 partners were expected to attend this year's Lotusphere conference in Orlando.
IBM launched the Software Value Plus program and its certification requirements last year in an effort to ensure that resellers are building value around IBM software products rather than simply fulfilling customer orders.
By requiring reseller certification for such Lotus products as Notes, Domino, Quickr, Sametime, Connections, Alloy (for Lotus-SAP integration) and Protector (messaging security), IBM is expanding the "product authorization" requirements under the Software Value Plus program. Under that initiative channel partners must pass certification requirements in order to sell some IBM software products, including the InfoSphere, Optim and Cognos brands. Other products remain "open" and can be resold without authorization.
The authorization requirement for the Lotus products will be effective May 1, Carter said. Some Lotus products, including Lotus Mobile, Symphony and the LotusLive cloud services, will remain open.
Next: What Social Business Authorization Offers Partners
Under the solutions authorization designation, channel partners certified to resell Lotus collaboration and messaging software can go a step further by winning the "social business authorization" designation under which they develop and implement social business solutions for customers. Resellers have to demonstrate proficiency in social networking capabilities, including passing a mastery test, registering their solutions with IBM and providing customer references.
Channel partners that win social business authorization gain access to IBM sales and marketing resources and can earn up to 15 percent additional margin. IBM also announced new social business technical courses for partners available through the company's 38 IBM Innovation Centers worldwide.
IBM already offers similar solutions authorization designations for partners with expertise in specific vertical industries, such as banking and health care, and in the area of security.
In a related matter, IBM has yet to say who will take over Carter's role of vice president of software business partners and midmarket within the IBM Software Group. Carter, who took on the social business evangelism vice president role several weeks ago, said her successor would likely be named by the time of IBM's PartnerWorld Leadership Conference in mid-February.
Carter's new post is within the IBM Lotus Division but encompasses other business and technology areas throughout the company, she said.
At Lotusphere, in front of about 5,000 attendees, IBM introduced new releases of its Lotus Notes e-mail, Lotus Domino Server, Sametime instant messaging, and Lotus Connections file sharing and networking software. The key theme among the announcements was extending the applications' capabilities to mobile systems such as Google Android devices, Nokia mobile phones, RIM's BlackBerry, and Apple's iPhone and iPad.