Novell Enhances Partnerships to Drive Channel Partner Business, Increase Solutions Sales

Novell's Clear Channel initiative, launched in late 2001, has re-established working with channel partners as a critical component of Novell's go-to-market strategy, ensuring customers have flexibility in how they obtain Novell® solutions. The PartnerNet® program for the coming year will focus on driving new business to channel partners, training them on Novell's new Nsure™ and exteNd™ solutions, and increasing their profitability. To enhance Novell's partnering efforts broadly across the company, Novell will also incorporate its training and corporate software, hardware, and systems integrator partners under the PartnerNet umbrella. Thanks to the quality and scope of Novell's multi-level partner programs, Novell customers know they can work confidently with top-flight local and national partners to deploy Novell solutions to meet their business challenges.

Designed to clearly delineate how Novell and its channel partners could best go to market together, Novell's Clear Channel strategy helped increase trust between Novell and its channel partners over the last year and foster a mutually beneficial business environment. In 2002, Novell finalized a named account/named partner approach, significantly increased investment in training to partners, and developed active joint business planning for key solutions provider partners.

"Novell's commitment to the solutions provider channel is clearly shown by the resources, tools, and training they have provided us," said John Joseph of J4 Systems, a Sacramento-area Novell Platinum PartnerSM. "Using Novell's real world solutions and our close relationship with our Novell representatives, we have been able to generate new opportunities with our existing and potential clients, and obtain valuable training for our engineers and sales people. The quality of this program has had a significant impact on our business."

Building on the success of Clear Channel, Novell's 2003 program will further enhance Novell's channel relationships. Over the coming year, PartnerNet will have three primary focus areas. First, Novell will extend its partner-led coverage approach, helping match specific partners to specific customers. Under its named account model, Novell has significantly reduced the number of customers on which it takes the lead in the sales process, creating major new opportunities for channel partners. Novell's expanded PartnerNet team includes dedicated resources who will actively work with those customers and partners to ensure the right skills are matched to the right needs.

Second, Novell will expand training and offer specialization designations for channel partners in its new solutions focus areas. In October 2002, Novell launched a go-to-market strategy around four areas: Novell exteNd web application development; Novell Nsure secure identity management; Novell Nterprise™ cross platform networking services; and Novell NgageSM professional services. Secure identity management and web application development are new focus areas for the company, and Novell has developed a specialization program for partners who build expertise in these markets. Channel partners will become a key partner component of Novell Ngage professional services as Novell provides skills transfer training on its solutions to partners.

Finally, Novell will promote increased channel partner profitability through new initiatives. For example, the company will introduce a program for demand agents designed to provide special incentives to partners who find new accounts and generate new sales beyond the current installed base of Novell customers.

"The features of the Novell 2003 PartnerNet program provide the necessary tools to facilitate the success of partners," said Jennifer May, an enterprise service specialist with the Tenet Computer Group. "With benefits such as the specialization program, dedicated business partner consultants, and increased technical support offerings, partners have the tools they need to focus on, and be successful in, key growth areas of 2003. Novell has put together a program that avoids complexity and will help their partners deliver leading industry solutions to their customers."

Also new in 2003, Novell will be incorporating its education and corporate alliance partners under the PartnerNet umbrella. While the programs for training and corporate alliance partners will differ from those for solution providers, joining all types of Novell partners under a common framework will improve coordination and communication with partners and enhance the ability of Novell to ensure customers have multiple options in choosing how to work best with Novell.

"Novell needs partners to succeed," said Chris Stone, vice chairman, office of the CEO, Novell. "As we add increasingly complex solutions like web application development and secure identity management to our core networking services, we need highly qualified partners to help deliver these solutions to customers. We want our channel partners to feel like an extension of Novell. Great technology is just a first step. Through programs like PartnerNet, we'll provide the tools and processes that will make working with Novell easy for our partners."