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General FAQs
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What is the Sun Partner Advantage Program? |
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The Sun Partner Advantage Program for ISVs delivers quick access to the resources needed to build solutions based on Sun technologies. The Program architecture is flexible, scaling up in offerings and benefits based on level of participation. The Member level opens the door to a productive relationship with Sun, enabling you to take advantage of Sun's insight, experience, and resources. No contract with Sun is required at the Member level.
Sun Partners have demonstrated a greater commitment to the Sun platform. These businesses have developed and/or are planning to develop products or services using Sun technology in the next 12 months. Partners have access to the full complement of Sun's tools and resources for creating, marketing, and delivering solutions on Sun. These include substantial discounts on Sun hardware, software and support, marketing program support, and increased sales opportunities.
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| 2. |
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Can other partner types participate in the Sun Partner Advantage Program, for ISVs? |
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Yes. Sun recognizes that many other partner types actually create and sell commercially available products, including IHVs, OEMs, and SIs. Any company that meets the requirements to become a Partner in the program (Associate or Principal) can take advantage of the offerings in the Sun Partner Advantage Program, for Independent Software Vendors.
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| 3. |
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Why should Sun customers care about this Program? |
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The Program helps create an increased level of collaboration among Sun and its network of partners, which benefits customers directly in several ways:
- More choices. Customers have access to a broader range of integrated and "integrateable" solutions from Sun and its partners.
- Investment protection. Strong, diverse partnerships reduce business and technical risk for customers. Sun is proving its commitment to support customer platforms and reduce total cost of ownership by building dynamic communities.
- Access to more complete, tested, proven solutions that are optimized for the Sun environment, because Sun and Partner engineers often work closely together to optimize their products for each other's platforms.
- More joint solutions and reference architectures at the global network of Sun Solution Centers, helping to reduce the cost, complexity, and deployment timeframes of complete solutions.
- Predictability. Sun is rolling out the latest technologies with supported compatibility standards, so customers will get predictability with latest upgrades on the Sun platform.
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| 4. |
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What are the general features of the Program? |
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Extensive offerings to support development across the application lifecycle, including technologies and products for design, development, deployment, and operation; as well as marketing tools, sales engagement resources, and education offerings
Simple, flexible program architecture with tiered participation - with mutual investment at each level, recognizing and rewarding increased commitment by the partner with higher levels of investment by Sun
Programmatic access to base-level offerings, plus access to localized offerings and offerings based on Sun initiatives (available through opt-in, nomination, or other qualification criteria)
Faster and easier access to Program resources, with worldwide Sun Partner Advantage Program Contact Centers and Web support for personalized assistance with questions and requests
Cross-partnering opportunities, with stronger emphasis on collaboration and teaming across the partner ecosystem
Dynamic program, with a phased roll-out to continually adapt to changing market conditions and evolving requirements
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| 5. |
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What benefits can ISV partners expect to receive? |
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By participating in the Sun Partner Advantage Program, ISVs will get simplified, programmatic, Web-based access to the resources they need to help them succeed in each stage of the application life cycle: design, development, deployment, and operation. Offerings and programs valued at more than USD $250,000* are available at a small fraction of the actual cost. There are four key categories of offerings: Products and Technology; Marketing and Sales; Technical Resources and Support; and Education.and Training.
*NOTE: Qualification requirements apply and may vary. Not all program features available in all geographies. Discount levels and other benefits vary by participation level.
With the tiered participation framework, Sun recognizes and rewards increased partner commitment with a higher level of investment, so the more committed you are to Sun technology, the more offerings for which you'll be eligible. View complete details about the individual offerings that are available.
In addition, Sun is a server volume leader, so partnering with Sun gives ISVs access to more seats and broader markets. And Sun invests in R&D like no other company, keeping Sun at the forefront of networking technology. Sun s leadership as an innovator helps open up new opportunities for ISVs in several key areas:
- Business models that can help produce new sources of revenue. Current examples include the Utility Computing model and Sun Connection (IT as a Service).
- Technologies that can help extend ISV reach, such as Java technology, the Solaris 10 Operating System, Sun Grid technology, chip multithreading, and more.
- Standards that can help cut development cost, complexity, and timeframes. Sun is a leader or active participant in many key standards organizations, such as the Java Community Process, the Liberty Alliance, GNOME, Mozilla, and dozens more.
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| 6. |
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What are the levels or tiers of participation available to ISVs? |
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Three entry points are available for ISVs through the Sun Partner Advantage Program.
- Member: Open the door to a productive relationship with Sun. Get connected to Sun's insight, experience, and resources. No contract with Sun is required at this level.
- Associate Partner: Get the tools and knowledge needed to excel with Sun technology. A modest commitment at this level can lead to major improvements in the partners technical capabilities and marketing resources.
- Principal Partner: Commit a little more and take advantage of additional sales engagement opportunities. Promote your products effectively and cost-efficiently.
At every level of participation, the Program gives partners access to offerings that support the full lifecycle of solution development:
- Technical assistance to help partners design, develop, and deploy the solution
- Marketing resources and best practices to help increase the effectiveness and cost-efficiency of marketing activities
- Sales and Go-To-Market offerings that can help accelerate time-to-market and extend sales reach
- Education programs that can help increase technical competence and help partners differentiate their products
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| 7. |
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Who are the ideal partners for this Program? |
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Any technology company creating products and/or services that extend, enhance, complement, interoperate, or integrate with Sun technologies and result in a solution sold to customers. The Sun Partner Advantage Program is aimed primarily at traditional ISVs developing commercially available applications. Other partner types developing applications for customers that run on Sun, such as IHV, OEMs, and SIs, can also take advantage of the offerings in this Program. (See also Question #2)
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| 8. |
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Why should ISVs partner with Sun? |
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Innovation is a team sport, and Sun is the one company that has consistently delivered innovation, technological leadership, and a strong commitment to collaboration. Partnership is part of our DNA because Sun knows that your success, our success, and our customers success are all tied together.
The Sun Partner Advantage Program brings the full benefit of that heritage to ISVs, enabling them to get to market faster with better products and removing the barriers to business opportunities. |
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| 9. |
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What's the process for joining the Program? |
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| 10. |
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What are the participation criteria at each level? |
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Program membership is determined by the partner's level of investment in Sun technology. New partners typically will enter the Program as Associate Partners and may qualify for the opportunity to apply for Principal membership depending on their product/service profile and history with Sun. Specific requirements are available on the eligibility page.
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| 11. |
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How do Partners see what offerings are available to them under the new Program? |
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They simply log on to the Membership Center where they can view and have access to all of the offerings for which they are entitled, depending on their level of participation. The offerings for which each Partner is eligible are presented automatically, along with simple instructions to take advantage of individual offerings.
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| 12. |
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How can Partners see what offerings are available at higher membership levels? |
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| 13. |
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Are all of the technology and migration tools available to all partners? |
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Access to technology is scaled depending on membership tiers, but every ISV and development partner will enjoy increased access.
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| 14. |
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Are there other ways for customers to learn more about partner solutions? |
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Yes, Sun provides ISVs with several opportunities to showcase their solutions to prospects and expand their market reach, including participation in customer-focused demand generation programs, partner and solutions directories and sales engagement activities.
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| 15. |
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What specific programs will Sun offer to increase sales engagement? |
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Sun understands how important it is to help partners make connections and foster teaming with Sun's sales community in order to provide customers with a complete solution, so we are offering the Sun Sales Connect program as a benefit of the Sun Partner Advantage Program for ISVs. Sales Connect delivers access to a variety resources needed to build collaborative selling relationships with Sun Sales reps and channel partners.
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| 16. |
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Do all partners have access to all sales engagement offerings? |
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The Sun Sales Connect Program is generally available to qualified partners at the Associate, Principal and Executive Partner levels. Some program services will vary based on your membership level. Sales Exchange Events and Sales Connect Industry Engagement Track are available by nomination only. Contact connect@sun.com to find out more about the requirements.
NOTE: Not all program features available in all geographies.
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| Sun Partner Advantage Program
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