Oracle in Standard channel expansion
Firm plans to recruit 3,000 more EMEA resellers, including 600 in UK
Oracle will recruit 3,000 extra resellers across EMEA, including at least 600 in the UK, in a massive expansion of its channel programme for the firm's Standard Edition One SME database.
"I'm really keen on this market," said Trudy Norris-Grey, Oracle's vice-president of multi-channel sales in the UK.
"We're not going to discriminate on grounds of size when recruiting partners, but we are looking for geographic coverage."
The resellers will be accredited to offer Standard Edition One, Oracle's SME database product. This is also available bundled with a variety of Dell server products.
Norris-Grey said she did not yet have revenue projections, adding that recruitment is the main priority.
"Usually, 20 to 25 per cent of our resellers in EMEA are in the UK," said Norris-Grey. "We want to be big in this market. End-users can get access to the product from as little as £84, and we want to make it an easy opportunity for resellers to join."
Current pricing for resellers wanting to join the scheme is £169, although because the charge is linked to the US dollar, it is expected to fall.
However, Des Lekerman, managing director of reseller Eurodata Systems, pointed to the extra costs of picking up another vendor. "From my company's point of view, it's better to specialise in a specific area," he said.
"We need to put our chips on one number, not try to cover the entire table. It takes time and money to get a product up and running.
"Oracle has a great reputation, but in the enterprise market, not in SME. There will be a lot of tyre-kickers who will want lots of leads, but ultimately it will be a bit of a disappointment.
"Has Oracle thought this through properly? And what value do you get from a £169 programme?"