IBM SVP casualties offered helping hand

Maywood Solutions offers to assist partners left unable to fulfil software orders following IBM's move to controlled distribution

Partner Plus programme is designed to help IBM partners who are unable to fulfil SVP sales

Casualties of IBM’s move to a 'controlled distribution' model for software have been offered a helping hand by one of the vendor’s most highly certified partners.

Two months ago, Big Blue launched Software Value Plus (SVP), a new programme raising the bar of accreditation for Lotus, Tivoli, Websphere, Rational and DB2 and the 11 product groups across the brands.

Under the new strategy, only those partners who beef up their sales and technical skills will retain access to each product affected.

In the expectation that not everyone will make the extra investment, IBM Premier Business Partner Maywood Solutions has offered to step in and has emailed fellow partners to advertise its services.

According to the email, its Partner Plus service is designed to “assist IBM Business Partners who are unable to fulfil sales in SVP areas for which they are currently uncertified”.

Founded in 2003, £10m outfit Maywood bills itself as one of Europe’s most highly certified Premier Business Partners, with certifications across all 11 SVP groups.

In a statement to CRN, Adrian Keeling, managing director of Maywood, said that Partner Plus was not specifically supported by IBM but falls within the vendor’s rules.

“We fully support IBM's SVP programme and believe it will lead to a more professional and skilled channel,” he added.

VAR Portal Partnership skilled up around SVP last year, but chief executive Shamus Kelly said he understood the logic of Maywood’s approach.

“The [SVP] accreditation is a substantial effort in terms of time and effort,” he said. “This gives smaller partners a third option.”

Another IBM reseller said Maywood’s strategy suggests many partners have not felt able to make the investment in SVP, although Big Blue said the programme’s introduction had had the desired effect of improving expertise in its software channel.

Paul Campion, director of Business Partner sales, IBM Software Group, said: “IBM is very satisfied with the transition our partners have made to Software Value Plus and is confident that the programme will bring benefits to both clients and partners alike.”