Oracle OPN Specilized Introduced at OPN Day

Oracle has introduced the revamped Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN) Program – OPN Specialized at OPN Day – Pakistan. This new program represents a significant evolution of the Oracle PartnerNetwork.

OPN Specialized allows partners to formally certify specializations to differentiate themselves and their offerings, be recognized for their expertise and become preferred solution providers to Oracle customers.

“OPN Specialized has gone through a comprehensive evolution, and has been redesigned to help our partners scale and differentiate themselves in today’s fiercely competitive marketplace,“ said Sean Baptist, General Manager, Alliances & Channels, ASEAN. “Our aim is to provide partners with the tools and resources to gain differentiation; thereby providing a competitive edge that enables them to stand out in the marketplace. I would also like to congratulate the OPN Awards winners and appreciate all their hard work. Our partners are truly helping customers in innovative and effective ways, and these awards recognize their achievements.”

Recognizing partners for innovative and successful uses of Oracle technology, Oracle announced the recipients of the Oracle PartnerNetwork Awards – Pakistan FY09 at the event. Winners were selected for excellence in solving real-world customer challenges and for their development and deployment of Oracle Solutions.

“We are pleased to honor the innovation, dedication and excellence that the award winners have demonstrated over the past year,” said Farhan Ibrahim, Country Director, Technology Business, Oracle Pakistan and Afghanistan. “Our partners raise the bar higher each year for deployment and unique approaches to solving real world client challenges and we are continually energized by their commitment. The winners this year are indicative of the passion and pride our partners have in working with Oracle to deliver customers winning proven solutions to solve their most critical business challenges.”

The FY09 OPN Awards recognized seven leading partners, across ten categories. The OPN Awards recognized partner excellence in Technology, Applications, Industry, Oracle Accelerate and Mid market.

The Oracle PartnerNetwork Awards – Pakistan FY09 winners were as follows : Middleware Partner of the Year FY09: Techlogix Pakistan (Pvt.) Ltd., Database Options Partner of the Year FY09: Ora-Tech Systems (Pvt) Ltd, Technology Mid Market Partner of the Year FY09: Ora-Tech Systems (Pvt) Ltd, Independent Software Vendor Partner of the Year FY09: Allied Systems & Technologies, Applications Mid Market (Accelerate) Partner of the Year FY09: Ora-Tech Systems (Pvt) Ltd, Applications Partner of the Year FY09 : Jaffer Brothers Pvt Ltd., Value Added Distributor Partner of the Year FY09: Roma Business Solution, Systems Integrator Partner of the Year FY09: Techlogix Pakistan (Pvt.) Ltd., Industry Partner of the Year FY09: IBM Pakistan, Consulting Partner of the Year FY09: A.F.Ferguson & Co,

“The Oracle PartnerNetwork Awards – Pakistan FY09 recognize the innovative implementation and business achievements of partners within the Oracle PartnerNetwork.” said Syed Rizwan Munawar, Country Head, Applications Business, Oracle Pakistan and SAGE W. “The Oracle PartnerNetwork remains a valuable asset to Oracle, our partners, and our customers. And, we will continue to work closely with our partners to deliver solutions that our customers need.”

OPN Specialized delivers new tools to aid partners, including a new partner ordering portal, an improved enablement environment for training, a new marketing events calendar, and an enhanced Solutions Catalog.

Details about Oracle PartnerNetwork Specialized Program

• Built on the foundation of Oracle Enablement 2.0 training and support, the OPN Specialized program will enable partners to establish industry recognition by following a formal process to become specialized in key Oracle solution areas. This allows partners to expand customer sales by differentiating themselves in the solutions and services they offer.
• The four new levels in Oracle OPN are designed to equip partners with the right level of information and expertise needed to better sell, develop with, or implement Oracle technology. The new levels include

• Remarketer: The entry level to Oracle OPN Specialized is Oracle’s successful VAD (Value-Added Distributor) Remarketer program. Through Oracle’s VADs, partners can resell Oracle 1-CLICK products with no contract or fees yet access to online training and sales tools.
• Silver: The Silver level also focuses on the 1-CLICK products and has a wealth of Oracle engaged benefits including access to the Oracle Partner Business Center, Support, enhanced educational offerings and development licenses to increase competitive positioning and profitability with midsize businesses.
• Gold: Gold partners will receive access and resell rights to the full Oracle Technology portfolio and also allows partners to apply for resell rights for Oracle Applications. At this level, partners can start building competency and business credentials to become specialized.
• Platinum: At this new elite level of OPN Specialized, partners receive the highest engagement, commitment and benefits by showcasing the depth and breadth of the Partner’s expertise in five or more specializations of Oracle solutions.

Specialization delivers three important benefits:

• Enables partners to differentiate themselves by becoming Specialized across Oracle’s portfolio of products,
• Allows Oracle to recognize partners that have invested in the Oracle portfolio and have the competency to support joint customers, and
• Provides customers with the ability to select preferred partners with validated skills and experience to provide the best solutions to business problems

Specialized partners also receive a wealth of additional benefits, including tailored logos around each attained specialization, placement on Oracle.com through the Solutions Catalog, additional free assessment and exam vouchers, free support requests, demonstration solution services and access to implementation methodologies.