IBM Group Lends A Hand

John Soyring, vice president of the IBM Software Services group, said his team is charged with supporting systems integrator and ISV partners.

"Early in the life cycle of a new technology, systems integrators tend to be reluctant to create a services practice [around it because it is not yet successful in the marketplace," Soyring said. His group creates that services practice "even before the product is available" so early adopters can get help with deployment, he said. He declined to disclose the group's staff size.

Solution providers of all stripes often call in the IBM Software Services group when partners are unfamiliar with the features of a new product or upgrade, said Soyring. For example, IBM's WebSphere 4.0 software "is at a very mature stage now," so partners need less assistance for that version than they would for WebSphere 5.0, he said.

Partners also benefit from group's deep technical expertise in DB2, Lotus and Tivoli, Soyring said. He described his group as "arms dealers," with ties to IBM's myriad partners and its services arm, IBM Global Services (IGS).

The IBM Software Services group provides "on-the-job training" to IGS and partners, Soyring said. "We let them battle it out in the marketplace. Our ulterior motive is the successful deployment of IBM software," he said.

Solution provider Prolifics has developed a productive relationship with the IBM Software Services group, said Mike Chadwick, vice president of sales at the Orlando, Fla., company. The group has subcontracted engagements lasting days or months to Prolifics, Chadwick noted. "[The group uses our skills to provide the proper experts to help drive sales," he said. "Having someone like IBM pay attention to us has been great."

Chadwick said Prolifics also is a longtime partner of BEA Systems, whose WebLogic application server competes directly with IBM's WebSphere app server. "We're not going to turn away BEA business," he said, "[but we encourage everyone to go the WebSphere route."

Another solution provider that works with BEA and IBM said the complex WebSphere 5.0 product may force some reliance on IBM in-house experts.

"From what I've heard, for once the propaganda we hear from BEA is true," said the solution provider, who requested anonymity. "For the WebSphere product line, there are at least 20 different products,some from IBM labs or other companies,that have been cobbled together. It's much more complex." WebSphere's tools aren't as easy to use or as well-integrated as BEA's tools, he added.

ISV Versant also provides some integration services for WebSphere, said Tom Miura, COO of the Fremont, Calif., company. "We get called into accounts where IBM has relationships," Miura said. "I think we are called in partly because of their [limited bandwidth. We actually have really deep expertise in the product and the whole architecture of the middle tier."

ELIZABETH MONTALBANO contributed to this story.