Like a steady drumbeat, Oracle seems to be hitting the right tempo with its channel program in recent months. Instead of flooding The VAR Guy with pointless "news," the database giant checks in every few weeks with another tidbit of info. The latest example: Nearly 40 value added distributors are now backing Oracle's products. Hmmm. Isn't Oracle a direct sales giant?

The VAR Guy

December 22, 2008

2 Min Read
Oracle Lines Up 38 Value Added Distributors

Oracle Headquarters
Like a steady drumbeat, Oracle seems to be hitting the right tempo with its channel program in recent months. Instead of flooding The VAR Guy with pointless “news,” the database giant checks in every few weeks with another tidbit of info. The latest example: Nearly 40 value added distributors are now backing Oracle’s products. Hmmm. Isn’t Oracle a direct sales giant?

Yes and no. Old habits die hard — especially in the enterprise software market where direct sales are commonplace. But The VAR Guy believes competitive threats have forced Oracle to alter its DNA and become far more partner-focused:

  • Microsoft SQL Server: Fact is, Microsoft doesn’t get enough credit for creating a competitive environment that forced Oracle to become more channel-friendly.

  • Linux and Windows NT: Larry Ellison could have stuck with Unix and ignored the emerging Windows NT and Linux server opportunities. Instead, he kept and open mind and directed Oracle to port all of its applications to NT and Linux.

Oh, back to the news at hand. In a press release issued today, Oracle said it has:

  • 38 Remarketer Authorized VADs signed up globally.

  • Through these VADs more than 1000 resellers worldwide closed Oracle business.

  • This represents an incremental 500 new resellers and four new VADs that are participating in the program since May 2008.

  • In its first year, the Oracle VAD Remarketer Program facilitated 500 new resellers and over 650 transactions of Oracle software. Half way through the program’s second year it has produced over 550 new resellers and over 700 transactions.

Sounds great, but how is Oracle performing as a business? Oracle’s overall sales were a bit soft in its most recent quarter, but aggressive cost cutting impressed Wall Street, notes BusinessWeek.

Not bad for a “database” company that could have gone off the cliff with Unix.

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