Oracle and SAP tormentor arrives in UK channel

Rimini Street hunts for Oracle and SAP partners claiming it can undercut the duo's support fees by a half

The channel has been issued with a call to arms by a third-party maintenance firm looking to break the monopoly that Oracle and SAP enjoy on support for their own enterprise software.

US-based Rimini Street is expanding into the UK and Europe with the claim that it can undercut the duo's annual support fees by a half and save customers up to 90 per cent on support costs over a decade.

The firm has racked up 430 customers in its six-year lifespan, with recent UK wins including EDF Energy, Experian, National Grid and Sainsbury's.

Talking to CRN, chief executive Seth Ravin said Rimini Street needed the channel's help to shatter the perception that enterprise software can be fixed only by the firm that made it.

"You buy a car from a dealership but you take it to your local mechanic for an oil change," he said. "We are offering the same choice in the enterprise software market that people have today with consumer goods such as automobiles."

Ravin claimed that Oracle and SAP generate half of their revenue from annual maintenance fees at a 90 per cent profit margin.

"The excessive costs vendors extract from customers on an annual basis has reached a point beyond what is perceived as value for money," he said.

Rimini has unveiled its first 11 European partners, including UK outfits Teme and Green Triangle. Partner margins will differ depending on their role, which could vary from acting as a referral agent all the way up to providing local language and first-line support.

"We have a very fair partner programme to ensure the rewards are equal to the investment," said Ravin.

Partners will typically have expertise in at least one of the products Rimini supports, which include SAP's full portfolio and Oracle's PeopleSoft, Siebel, JD Edwards and E-Business Suite software, or vertical markets such as retail.

The firm also claims to outstrip Oracle and SAP on service levels, with an average response time of three-and-a-half minutes.

Ravin said Rimini is targeting European revenue of $35m (£22m) this year and stressed the firm is currently in international expansion mode.

"We are very much in an emerging market," said Ravin. "Our addressable market is 50,000 customers so we have barely scratched the surface as we build a new industry."