New Edge For Peregrine Partners

PartnerEdge aims to enlist new lower- and midtier partners that can install and service Peregrine's enterprise-level software asset management products, said Russ Mann, senior vice president of strategic initiatives at the San Diego-based vendor.

Peregrine also intends to use the new program to work with partners in developing more long-term goals, according to Mann. "We want to start looking further out and provide more long-range marketing support. Ideally, working two or even three quarters out to find either new engagements or existing customers that can be improved upon," he said.

PartnerEdge has three tiers: Strategic Partners, Preferred Partners and Business Partners. Peregrine. however, is populating only the lower two since IBM essentially has the Strategic Partner tier all to itself through a joint agreement with the company, Mann said.

The carrot for Preferred Partners and Business Partners is increased opportunity to realize professional services revenue from Peregrine products. For example, the recently released Asset Management 4.4 can help enterprises better manage their software budgets and save money. Craig MacDonald, vice president of product marketing at Peregrine, said the product--which runs $100,000 to $300,000, depending on the number of software administrators--can save enterprises with 10,000 employees around $20 million in software costs over a three-year period.

PartnerEdge also includes joint marketing opportunities, lead generation, and sales and technical training, Mann said.

Unlike many three-tiered partner programs that direct lower- and midtier resellers to lower- and midtier accounts, PartnerEdge gives all solution providers a shot at Peregrine's enterprise customers, Mann said. Preferred Partners are generally tapped to provide professional services to Peregrine customers, while Business Partners are enlisted for parts of jobs best-suited to their expertise, he said.

For the Preferred Partner tier, Peregrine seeks as many as 20 large regional resellers and systems integrators with their own consulting services. And for the Business Partner level, the vendor is looking for about 100 smaller VARs with more specialized expertise. Both of those goals include partners needed in Europe.

Don Casson, CEO of Evergreen Systems, a Peregrine Preferred Partner in Sterling, Va., welcomed the vendor's effort to drive professional services revenue into the channel. "Those guys at Peregrine should be trying to put us out of a job, but we get a shot at services," he said. "And it's very symbiotic."