IBM Welcomes Partners, Urges Cooperation

IBM kicks off its annual PartnerWorld conference in Las Vegas this week with the usual dizzying array of new and improved channel schemes. From a macro perspective, however, Big Blue is spending much of its energies on encouraging complementary partner types, such as ISVs and systems integrators, to work more closely together, while separately pledging to help U.S.-based partners expand their reach into emerging international markets.

The ubiquitous partner "ecosystem" concept is being pushed in all corners of IT today, with leading vendors from Microsoft to Intel promoting business-partner quid pro quo as an effective sales strategy, particularly when taking aim at the midmarket. The jury's still out on the success of such efforts, but Big Blue has been sharpening its approach, conducting a pilot program last year that connected 60 vertical ISV partners with regional systems integrators to resell and implement their software.

That program is being expanded to the masses here at PartnerWorld this week; the thinking being that local SIs and ISVs close business more successfully in concert, especially in specific vertical industries within the midmarket. Putting some muscle behind the program, IBM announced this week that it is dedicating 1,000 IBM sales specialists to work directly with such business partners to generate leads and close business deals. The specialists will be subject to meeting quotas for partner-based sales, according to IBM officials.

More formalized networking and sales support? All good, says one partner.

"It's a topic that I have been complaining about for years," says Brian Angle, vice president of sales and marketing at CMS, a Tennessee-based ISV and IBM business partner. "ISVs drive solutions. Hardware guys don't just sell boxes to new accounts; they need an ISV with that critical vertical application a customer needs. And if IBM can network ISVs and regional coverage agents, then we can go in and pull off the sale."

There are other benefits. Using SIs as their reseller channel also frees ISVs to focus more resources on developing applications and less on direct sales, a costly juggling act for many smaller ISVs.

From IBM's perspective, ISVs and regional SIs are critical influencer partners for its trademark middleware software and hardware platforms, according to Buell Duncan, general manager of ISV & developer relations for IBM.

"This is about the ability for us to have an Avnet working with a software company and downstream SI, and we all work together to close deals," Duncan says.

Practically speaking, IBM this week will expand participation in its PartnerWorld for Industry Networks (PWIN) program to regional SIs. The year-old program has been open solely to ISVs that go to market in one of eight industry application areas, such as automotive or health-care/life sciences. Program benefits range from technical enablement and support, demand generation, sales and marketing resources and advertising discounts. In addition to making the program available to local SIs, IBM this week is also adding four new industries to the PWIN program: Fabrication and assembly; wholesale; media and entertainment; and education and learning.

To help ISVs and SIs find and work with each other, IBM will host a number of networking-type forums, both online and in-person; fund worldwide co-marketing activities between partners; and conduct one-on-one mentoring sessions between partners, IBM executives and third-party experts, according to Duncan.

IBM is also launching its Business Partner Application Showcase, a customer-facing online yellow pages, if you will, listing partner solutions by industry and geography. Customers can click on a "contact me" button to initiate talks with a solution provider whose application fits their needs, Duncan says.

Emerging markets, such as China, Russia and India are a huge focus for IBM right now, and the company is looking to boost its business partners' presence abroad. To do so, IBM is unveiling new funding for demand-generation activities, such as worldwide co-marketing campaigns and discounted advertising rates for partners in 130 international publications.

Other news filtering out of PartnerWorld comes from the Systems and Technology Group within IBM. It is announcing a new program called SystemSeller, which Denise Buonaiuto, vice president of global business partner for the group, describes as a set of solutions that make it easier for partners to configure, implement, install and run systems aimed at the SMB space.

"IBM has been trying to focus more attention from partners to the SMB area," Buonaiuto says. "We want 80 percent driven through partners. And partners are telling us that there must be an easier way to take the solutions we have and make them even more palatable to SMB."

SystemSeller affects all the products in the business unit. The goal is competitive pricing, product availability within 24 to 48 hours, and channel-ready packaging, she says.