Oracle hunts born-in-the-cloud partners
Oracle launches cloud partner programme and expects to see an 'explosion' of born-in-the-cloud partners joining
Oracle has claimed it expects the global launch of its Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN) Cloud Programme to see an "explosion" of born-in-the-cloud partners coming to the firm.
The OPN programme, which launched globally yesterday, is Oracle's first cloud-focused partner scheme and is split into four accreditations: Cloud Standard, Cloud Select, Cloud Premier and Cloud Elite.
The Cloud Standard level does not have a revenue requirement but requires partners to have a certain cloud specialisation and the benefits are around helping these partners move to the next level, Cloud Select.
Cloud Select has a $2m (£1.4m) cloud-revenue requirement and also requires partners to designate sales and marketing resources. The benefits of this level include MDF funds, discounts to Oracle's cloud environment and more visibility at Oracle cloud events.
The Cloud Premier level has a $6m cloud-revenue requirement and partners must have a certain number of certified cloud specialists. The benefits include dedicated account managers, sales training and enhanced partner visibility.
The Cloud Elite level has a $20m cloud-revenue requirement and for the Global Cloud Elite level this rises to $40m. The benefits include increased go-to-market support with free cloud environments for development tests and demos.
Shawn Price, senior vice president of Oracle cloud, told CRN at Oracle's Digital Transformation conference in London that he hoped the programme would help migrate existing partners but also appeal to new types of channel players.
"We are taking on two roles," he said. "Firstly with existing partners who are already trained with on-premise infrastructure and looking for migration; we are putting fuel on the fire with our brand new programme, OPN. The byproduct is that we have also said because it's defined in the cloud, that opens it up to the regional born-in-the-cloud digital natives that maybe have historically looked at us and said 'you are an on-prem enterprise-class heavyweight and we don't know where we fit'."
Price said he thought these cloud resellers are often focused on the mid-market - which is not where Oracle has traditionally played - and they may have been put off by Oracle's not having a cloud programme. But with the OPN programme, and Oracle's drive into the mid-market, he expects to see a flurry of this new type of partner coming to the vendor.
"I think there will be an explosion [of these partners joining up]," he said. "If I was a born-in-the-cloud digital systems integrator, I would come to Oracle tonight."
Oracle has about 800 UK partners and when asked how many more resellers it wants to recruit with its new OPN programme, UK channel boss Simon Hill said "as many as possible".