BAs in the UK score Big Blue points

Resellers in the UK will benefit from IBM's move to promote Notes on the RS/6000, with extra points on hardware, it emerged last week.

Martin Penning, IBM channel programme manager for Notes, said the company hoped to up its number of business associates by year end to double figures to promote the software on the platform.

'We have launched a programme for UK resellers called Power Notes,' he said. 'The idea is to bring Notes expertise to the reseller community, and we want to educate and maximise the opportunity that Notes is presenting.'

The business associates (BAs) that IBM has recruited in the UK amount to 250, said Penning. 'As undeveloped as the programme is, this is a golden opportunity for resellers. Notes for the RS/6000 came to the UK at the end of February.'

The programme will include incentives. 'We've put together a package for them. We'll generate an ad campaign and leads will go through the channel-enabled BAs,' said Penning.

Penning confirmed that BAs which signed up for the scheme would gain hardware points. 'I'm hoping to appoint up to 20 this calendar year. This is a Europe-wide initiative, but it starts in the UK,' he said.

Penning said that running Notes on RS/6000 rather than PC server systems would bring cost benefits to customers because the machines would run many more workstations. The move is part of IBM's ambitious plans to make Notes its internal platform as well as a platform for suppliers and resellers.