Whitelight targets BI partners

Whitelight Systems is targeting the partners of business intelligence giants Cognos, Business Objects and Oracle in a channel drive to triple revenue this year.

The Californian analytical software vendor unveiled its channel programme of targeting the largest 2000 companies in the world. The company claims the programme will boost indirect revenue by 25 per cent by the end of the year, rising to half of total revenue by the end of 2000.

Peter Beard, European managing director of Whitelight, who joined the company from Cognos, told PC Dealer: 'Partners don't have to throw away the investments they have made in Cognos or Business Objects because we are totally compliant with all platforms at the back and the front end.'

Beard said privately-held Whitelight was also looking to formalise the company's relationship with leading business intelligence vendors in the near future and stressed that Whitelight was not in competition with them, but refused to elaborate further.

The UK-driven partner programme will run on three levels, targeting application partners and OEMs, Vars and consulting partners and system integrators.

The company is currently in talks with consulting giant Deloitte and Touche.

Beard said Whitelight was hoping to avoid channel conflict by steering clear of sales force incentives that encourage direct fulfilment.

'Our channel partners will multiply our sales force in the field 30 fold.

We're not building a consultancy organisation and we prefer to work with the channel,' he added.

Whitelight will waive the signing fee to join the European Partner Programme - about £10,000 - for partners who join before the official launch on 16 June.