Innovation is the name of the game for resellers playing in the IBM space, as Big Blue tries to shake off its ultra-corporate image and en-courage its VARs to sell new solutions to the SME sector.

At its recent PartnerWorld event in Las Vegas, innovation was IBM’s main theme. The firm launched a range of products and VAR incentive schemes based around the idea that innovation will drive its future business, both in terms of product sets and partner choice.

“Last year we started our ‘without boundaries’ theme. This year, under the same theme, we are adding innovation,” Donn Atkins, general manager at IBM global business partners, told the 5,500 delegates. “It is key to our business and key to your business. Partners are prominently featured and key to IBM’s innovation.”

To entice partners to innovate, and to create and sell new products aimed at the SME sector, IBM launched several initiatives in Las Vegas. The most prominent scheme, revealed by CRN recently (CRN, 20 March), is the Express Advantage programme. The initiative will combine Express-branded products, services, software and financing bundles.

“The SME sector is now part of all talks currently taking place at IBM. It is the biggest market, worth $500bn, and it is growing faster than the rest of the IT market,” said Steve Solazzo, general manager at IBM global small and medium business. He added that the Express Advantage programme has three prongs targeting the SME sector: Express-branded products, expanding the partner ecosystem and improving the customer experience.

Under the products aspect of the scheme, Big Blue launched two IT assessment consulting initiatives: IBM Express IT Strategy Assessment, which examines an organisation’s entire IT system, and IBM Express Web Site Effectiveness Assessment, which is designed to help SMEs find out how effective their web site is and how they can improve it.

IT security was also a focus for the vendor, with the launch of the first ever Express Tivoli products: IBM Tivoli Identity Manager Express, IBM Express Managed Security Services for Web Security, and IBM Express Vulnerability Assessment.

Other Tivoli products launched by the vendor under the Advantage programme include: Tivoli Storage manager Express, Monitoring Express and Provisioning Manager Express.

“We are taking our enterprise products and making them simpler, because we realised that the mid-market does not want all of the functionality. So we will do all the pre-configuration for them,” Solazzo told CRN. “Security will be a priority for us this year, which is why we launched the Tivoli products. We have the IBM brand in security, but there were no products that the mid-sized companies could buy.”

Kevin Drew, managing director of VAR Triangle, said the new product sets and bundles are a good idea. “It is a rebranding and bundling of complex products, which is the right concept to undertake for IBM,” he said.

“However, IBM has to create the necessary pull around this in the market. Express has a lowered price point, but this does not necessarily mean it will drive up volume. Demand has to be created out in the market.”

Steve Pearce, chief operating officer at distributor InTechnology, agreed. “Express Advantage is clearly set around the SME sector and getting a higher run rate. It is early days at the moment from a distribution point of view, and a lot will depend on the marketing clout that IBM puts into this to drive demand,” he said.

“It is good news for the channel that IBM is tailoring specific packages aimed at the small-business sector, Resellers will find it easier to sell. The main effect will be whether IBM’s brand can translate down into the SME market, and whether there will be demand from end-users. The concept as a whole is the right one for IBM to take, and the Express Advantage programme should be good for the channel.”

Under Express Advantage, IBM unveiled end-user tools, such as a web site and concierge service, which will connect end-users to the service they require. Also launched in Las Vegas were: a partner portal, where VARs can get access to technical support, sales and marketing campaigns, and improved partner dashboards that allow partners to navigate sales assets from one location.

Solazzo said this would help partners to communicate and form their own partnerships and ecosystems, all under the firm’s ValueNet scheme. “In this world you cannot just be a market maker, you have top be a match maker too,” he said.

sara_driscoll@vnu.co.uk