Oracle Wows PeopleSoft Partners

That's the message 150 ex-PeopleSoft/JD Edwards resellers and integrators heard during a three-day meeting in late January, CRN has learned. The sales meeting and training session included the one-time PeopleSoft sales team, Oracle's two presidents Charles Phillips and Safra Catz, and Keith Block, Oracle's executive vice president, North America Sales and Consulting.

"I felt like I was being courted," said Karen Mills, CEO of Axion Solutions, Irvine, Calif. "They were saying 'we know we haven't always been easy to partner with, but we are committed to showing you what Oracle can do for the partner. We are the new Oracle."

As part of that change, Oracle said it would make it easier to work with the company by "consolidating partner terms, conditions, partner programs and partner portals to provide one infrastructure for partners across the Oracle technology, Oracle E-Business Suite, PeopleSoft Enterprise, JD Edwards EnterpriseOne and JD Edwards World product lines," Rauline Ochs, group vice president, North American Alliance and Channels later told CRN.

Another change promised at the event would cheer even longtime Oracle partners. In a move to reduce conflict, Oracle said it will compensate its direct sales force for North American sales going through either resellers or distributors, across Oracle's entire product line, including Oracle's infrastructure, or core technology software, as well as all application lines.

It also raised the bar on when midmarket sales cross the threshold into direct territory: Beginning June 1, ex-PeopleSoft resellers will be able to sell EnterpriseOne to customers with up to $500 million in annual revenue. Under the old regime, resellers had been prohibited from selling to companies with more than $100 million.

"You could hear a pin drop in the room when Keith Block told us," said Mills. "Once we heard that number, he said he was going to the room next door to give the message to Oracle's direct folks."

"Our [JD Edwards] partners will be supported by a partner pre-sales, post-sales and partner management team led by Rene Chapman and Adrian Ivanov [formerly of PeopleSoft]," said Ochs. "This is a partner-only territory for the JDE product line, however, Oracle reps will be compensated for JDE partner sales."

June 1 will also mark the kick-off for when Oracle's newly minted channel for E-Business Suite Special Edition can sell to customers with up to $100 million in revenue, up from $75 million. Oracle expects more than a few PeopleSoft resellers to offer Special Edition.

"Rene Chapman's team has been educated on the North American Special Edition program, and 100 JDE partners were introduced to EBS Special Edition at the Oracle/PeopleSoft sales meeting," said Ochs. "We have had exceptional interest from the JDE partners [in Special Edition] and are putting plans in place now to enable these partners."