Through a variety of joint marketing and development support activities, the Program has grown to encompass more than 150 Partners in the enterprise management marketplace. This article provides an overview of what the Partners enjoy as members of the Solstice Partners Program and how they, and future Partners, will benefit in the future.
Today, Sun has internal communication vehicles in place that enable our partners to better address Sun Microsystems, Inc. (SMI) audiences, such as our sales force. These vehicles include placing ISV demo software on an internal Sun Server and providing Solstice Partner collateral and company information on the World-Wide Web via the Solstice Partners homepage.
Our Solstice Partners also have access to a wide external audience through a variety of joint marketing mechanisms. These mechanisms include joint tradeshow participation in the Solstice Partners Technology Showcases at NetWorld+InterOp and SunWorld, joint press activities, and inclusion in the Solstice Partner Application Portfolio. According to Leland Putterman, Vice President of Marketing, BMC Software, Inc., these joint marketing activities have been quite valuable. "BMC Software has extended the level of integration and compatibility between PATROL and Solstice by utilizing the wealth of information offered by the Solstice Partners Program," he said. "We look forward to continued participation in the program."
Currently, some of the joint marketing activities available to our partners include:
The primary goal of the Solstice Partners support team within SunSoft is to ensure that the combination of the Solstice product family and the Solstice Partner products offer complete solutions in each of the nine enterprise management areas. Depending on the level of integration a Partner product has with a Solstice platform, Partners receive a classification status of either Preferred or Power. SunSoft uses this classification in defining the level of support available to each Partner. Regardless of their classification however, all Partners receive a base level of support through the Catalyst Program. This base level support program includes developer support, hardware and software discounts, as well access to the Hardware Lease and Rental Program.
In addition to support from the Catalyst Program, Power partners also receive free software upgrades and developer technical support . Another key benefit for Power partners is access to the Solstice Partners Program Developers Kit. Introduced in July 1995, this Kit provides a wealth of information to assist Partners in their integration efforts. The Kit includes the following:
"The Solstice Partners Program is the industry's leading program for supporting network management application developers. Frontier Software's NETscout Manager, integrated with SunNet Manager, delivers unprecedented distributed monitoring and diagnostic tools for enterprise networks."Nathan Kowalski, Vice President of Marketing, Frontier Software
"We fully support the Solstice Partners Program. It allows us to add more value to SunNet Manager with the NetMetrix applications thereby providing users with internetwork monitoring, troubleshooting and planning capabilities."Andy Belcher, Business Unit Manager, Network Test Division, Hewlett-Packard Company
"The Solstice Partners Program sends the message that SunSoft understands the complex nature of enterprise management. A true enterprise management solution requires more than products; it requires partners with an in-depth understanding of the underlying network, system and application infrastructure and the integration expertise to fully exploit the power of the Solstice family of products."Clay Calhoun, Director, Strategic Partner Programs, SSDS, Inc.
For further information on how to become a member of the Solstice Partners Program, please call 1-800-SUNSOFT or (512) 434-1234.