Sun Microsystems SA has revitalised its channel, appointing a new channel head, and renewing its focus on its "partner eco-system".
Recently-appointed Sun channel director for sub-Saharan Africa Patricia Martins says the company was not getting its channel focus right in the past, but this is what it is focusing on now.
"We've made a decision not to have the biggest channel, but rather to have a few well-selected partners. This lets us invest in them and scale them out as needs be. This also ensures higher loyalty as we are protecting our partners' investment."
Sun is focusing, locally, on systems integrators like Deloitte and Touche, and Accenture, which will give it board-level access to potential customers. It is also heavily on its independent software vendor community.
"We're betting on the best horses and building them up. We're investing heavily in training and certification. We're putting huge emphasis on demand generation, and aligning ourselves with our SIs and ISVs."
She adds that the company has been aligning these partners closely with its internal operations over the past year, and being far more transparent. It has also extended its internal team and, says Martins, is focusing more on pre-sales and is encouraging its channel managers to focus on partner profitability.
The local operation's renewed approach to its partners coincided with the launch of a new global partner programme, notes Martins. "Our biggest differentiator is that we don't compete with our channel."
Sun drives 99% of its local revenue through its channel; the 1% difference is accounted for by Telkom, which insists on having direct vendor relationships.
The company has account managers who work closely with its executive partners, and go into client engagements with the partner. As far as its mid-market clients go, this channel is driven by a local distributor, Horizon, and Sun has around 20 resellers in this space.
"We're positioning ourselves as business technologists, not box-droppers," says Martins. "And we're starting to take market share in the server environment. We've got a strong development environment, and partners are starting to see that success."
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