CHANNELBEAT
NEWS FROM THE CHANNEL PARTNER PROGRAM WORLD
By David Geer
SAP All-in-One Solutions
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SAP offers partners its core ERP solution
with best practices tailored to unique needs,
such as those of a particular country. “Our
partners take that and add more expertise,
configuring it to a specific industry level, to
a niche we call a ‘micro-vertical’ level,” says
Jim Dever, SAP spokesperson for SMB solutions and the partner channel. “They’ll take
it down to frozen foods, for example, or wine
companies.”
By the time it reaches the SMB customer,
the solution has been configured to meet 80
percent of the customer’s business management needs out of the box, according to Dever. These final packages are the SAP All-in-One solutions.
Now Walldorf, Germany-based SAP is offering its core ERP solution and best practices
based on the mySAP ERP 2005 solution.
“Partners now have a more sturdy, service-en-abled solution for midmarket companies,”
says Dever, noting the goal of the offer.
The mySAP ERP 2005-based offer is:
• Service-oriented architecture (SOA) enabled
• SAP’s stable offering until 2010
• The first SAP offering of its kind on the
market, according to Dever
THE GOODS ON
SAP ALL-IN-ONE
OFFICIAL OFFER NAME: SAP All-in-One
QUALIFICATIONS: Qualify via the partner
qualification and solutions certification
process in the Partner Edge program. The
program is suited to systems integrators
and partners with industry experience.
There are ISV, implementation, and solu-
tion development elements.
WHAT YOU GET: A support package, the
software, and a program that helps part-
ners introduce new solutions and up-
grade existing ones
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Prospective
partners should surf to
www.sap.com/
solutions/midsize/allinone.
The updated SAP All-in-One solutions offer helps midmarket partners in several ways.
Because it’s a stable offer until 2010, SAP
will deliver all improvements in Enhance-
ment Packs rather
than via upgrade cycles, easing adoption and
negating disruption.
In addition, the updated software features
a new, unified PC/GUI-like user interface
that will help speed adoption of partner solutions. For example, the interface uses a
navigation system that enables customers to
tailor best practices within three to four
screens; the old system required progression
through eight to nine screens.
“We have also built some CRM into the
core of the product,” says Dever. “It’s no
longer CRM as a separate add-on. There are
also advances in the reporting capability; it’s
better integrated with Excel, the de facto reporting software.”
Samsung Empowers Partners
Through P3
Samsung SMB partners benefit from rewards, sales support, and training as part of
the new Samsung Power Partner Program
(P3), according to Richard Hutton, senior
channel marketing manager, Samsung Electronics America Inc., based in Ridgefield
Park, N.J.
With no minimum sales revenue, Bronze
members receive:
• Loyalty rewards
• Email communications
• Access to Samsung’s inside sales group
• Both live and online training
P3 members can claim quarterly cash incentives using Samsung’s online Loyalty Reward claim form on the P3 Web site, according to Hutton. Partners receive product and
industry news through email broadcasts and
newsletters, sales support by phone from the
inside sales group, WebEx online classes via
webcast, as well as live training opportunities.
P3 POWERFUL ADVANTAGE
FOR SAMSUNG SMB PARTNERS
OFFICIAL OFFER NAME: Samsung Power
Partner Program (P3)
QUALIFICATIONS: There is no revenue
requirement for the program, but there
are added benefits when partners’ sales
grow based on silver, gold, or platinum
revenues.
WHAT YOU GET: Benefits around product
information, the Authorized Service
Provider Program, promotions, incen-
tives, and training
SURROUNDS THE FOLLOWING PRODUCTS:
Desktop LCDs, large-format LCDs and
plasma displays, printers, and the Ultra
Mobile PC
ELIGIBILITY: This is really a VAR program,
not an offering for distribution, e-tail, or
direct market retailers.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Sign up at
www.samsungp3.com or contact inside
sales at 1-866-542-7214.
Silver members ($50,000 in revenues) receive a dedicated field representative, an inside sales representative, and exclusive product discounts. Revenues can be from any
source, so Silver status and rewards are approachable by partners serving SMBs.
Both gold ($150,000) and platinum
($500,000) memberships offer many additional rewards, including Authorized Service
Provider Certification (gold) and
access to the
Premium Printer
Pricing Program, Priority Roadmap Access,
and membership on the Reseller Council
(platinum).
“Our goal is to build loyalty with Samsung
and educate our partners about how our
technologies can help their end users,” says
Hutton. “We have over 5,000 resellers and
17,000 individual members in our P3 program; we are constantly recruiting partners.”
