Sun Launches Plan To Attack Midmarket With Partners

Cheryl Kelly, director of global iForce marketing at Sun, said the new midmarket strategy pairs Sun and its solution provider and ISV partners to create solutions in the following vertical markets: financial services, manufacturing, life sciences, health care and retail.

The strategy includes a new midmarket portal on its iForce site, at sun.com/iforce/midsize, where customers can learn about the new offerings.

"We launched a midsize enterprise portal for customers to come to Sun and learn about solutions [for the market," Kelly said. "We're focused on identifying a partner or solution from one of our iForce partners that we can sell into that space."

Sun also added a new way for customers to search the iForce Solutions Directory to find mid-market solutions from partners, Kelly said.

In addition, Sun will set up a Midsize Enterprise Customer Advisory Board to offer solution providers and ISVs advice on what kind of solutions they need from them.

Sun identifies midsize customers as those with 100 to 1,000 employees, Kelly said. Sun currently is working with several hundred partners to target this customer base, but expects to work with more in the future as the opportunity is open for all of its partners that have solutions or products targeting those verticals.

The midmarket strategy is completely partner-driven, she added.

"We're looking at our ISVs and our solution providers to lead [us into this space," Kelly said. "We're working with them, understanding the specific solutions they have that are targeting midmarkets, identifying solutions and going to market with them."

Kelly said that at this time, there are no financial incentives in place for partners to participate in the plan, but Sun is considering the possibility of adding some. There also are no product discounts with the strategy at this time, she added.

So far, Kelly said. Sun's low- and midrange server and storage products have garnered the most interest among midmarket customers.

"We're finding that it's a combo of volume products, midframes and storage that seem to be most popular," Kelly said. "It does go up to midframes, because when you get up to 1,000 employees, [the company may have a billion dollars in revenue."