Grimes: Sun To Roll Out Training For Sun ONE

Sun Microsystems

Now that middleware vendor iPlanet has become a division of Sun, the vendor has shifted its focus from promoting hardware sales to pushing the entire end-to-end Sun ONE Web services architecture, which includes both hardware and software, executives said at the iPlanet Partner Conference 2002 here.

Grimes said this change in product focus also required a shift in culture among the Sun sales force and partners selling Sun products since they are used to marketing hardware products, not entire platform architectures.

"The training [is on how do you go from being a hardware [seller to being architecture-oriented," said Grimes.

Grimes said Sun last August launched an internal training program called the Road to Trusted Advisor for its global sales organization, requiring all salespeople to finish the training by the end of Sun's first quarter of fiscal 2002 in September 2001.

Sun's district sales managers taught the training sessions, he said.

Next month that training will be extended to Sun partners through its partner Web sites and portals, said Grimes.

"Now we're taking the message to partners," said Grimes.

Bill Cate, director of channel architecture and sales at Sun, said that while it has been challenging to integrate iPlanet middleware products into Sun's traditional hardware line for a complete Sun ONE architecture, the resulting portfolio means new opportunities for partners.

"The demand is increasing for these architectural-led solutions, and there's no way we at Sun can respond to that," said Cate. "That is a challenge, but it's also an opportunity for the partner community--that is a void for them to fill."