Oracle Press Release
Oracle Launches Oracle® PartnerNetwork Specialized

Partners Invest in OPN Specializations; Oracle Announces New OPN Tools to Help Partners Learn, Differentiate and Increase Sales

Redwood Shores, CA – December 2, 2009
News Facts

Enabling its more than 22,000 global partners to better differentiate, compete and succeed to today’s dynamic marketplace, Oracle today announced the official launch of Oracle® PartnerNetwork (OPN) Specialized.
Building on its robust foundation of Enablement 2.0, Oracle also announced new and enhanced business-building partner tools. These new resources make it easier for partners to manage their Oracle relationships, gain the appropriate skills to achieve specializations and expand business opportunities with new and existing Oracle customers.
First unveiled at Oracle OpenWorld 2009, the OPN Specialized program allows partners to formally certify specializations to differentiate themselves and their offerings, be recognized for their expertise and become preferred solution providers to Oracle customers.
Just two months since the program was first announced, leading partners from around the globe, including B2Br, CedarCrestone, SolStonePlus, Symatrix and Tilsor, have already achieved Platinum level status.
Platinum level partners have established a depth and breadth of the expertise across five or more key Oracle solution areas. Other levels in the new program include Gold, Silver and Remarketer
Partners, who achieve Specialization in specific areas through competency, business results, expertise and proven success, receive the benefit of:
Differentiating themselves by becoming Specialized across Oracle’s portfolio of products;
Being recognized by Oracle for having the competency to support joint customers; and
Becoming preferred by customers for their validated skills and experience in providing the best solutions to business problems.
OPN Specialized was formally kicked-off today in a series of interactive, live virtual events hosted by Judson Althoff and leading Oracle partner executives from around the world. Partners interested in hearing about how to take full advantage of the new OPN Specialized program can view these webcasts by registering at https://www.pelligrini.com/registration/. Partners can also join the discussion at OPN on Twitter (hashtag: #opn), OPN on Facebook, OPN on LinkedIn or email questions to opncomms_ww@oracle.com.

New Tools Help Partners Achieve Specialization; Increase Learning and Business Opportunities

As a key new enablement resource for the Oracle OPN Specialized program, the new media-rich OPN tools provide partners easy access to Oracle training, order booking, events, and other capabilities that will help them learn, grow and profit with Oracle.
New and enhanced tools include:
P&E System: The new Programs & Enrollments system provides partners with an easy to use automated method of managing their partner profiles. P&E allows partners to apply for specializations as well as track their OPN agreement status. This tool greatly enhances the partners experience with Oracle from the very first engagement.
Partner Ordering Portal (PoP): The Oracle Partner Ordering Portal, now available in 35 countries and eight languages, allows partners and Value-Added Distributors (VADs) to more efficiently enter their Oracle orders online. Enhancements streamline processing and save Oracle, partners and VADs valuable time and resources by reducing corrections and order processing time. In addition, the PoP allows users to track orders and Oracle License and Service Agreement requests in real-time. Other enhancements include easy tracking and management of customer deals, cross-border billing, partner specific discounting, and copy / share cart functionality, amongst other new features.
OPN Enablement Environment: Making it easier and more cost-effective for partners to gain the skills they need to become Specialized, the new OPN Enablement Environment delivers a wide selection of demonstration training on Oracle technology and application solutions, offered both as in-person classes and live virtual training. The new training program also allows partners to virtually demo Oracle technologies – gaining invaluable, hands-on Oracle Boot Camp lab experience without complex installation requirements or costly travel.
Enhanced Solutions Catalog: The enriched Solutions Catalog further enables partners to differentiate themselves and gain recognition from both Oracle and customers. Through new multimedia capabilities, partners can now upload ***** file demos and YouTube videos into the Solutions Catalog, allowing them to showcase visual images of their solutions, as well as speak to potential users directly through pre-recorded videos
Events Calendar: An enriched online searchable events calendar with RSS capabilities, allows partners to more easily track, identify and attend relevant events, either locally or virtually.
Supporting Quotes

“The Oracle PartnerNetwork Specialized program was designed to allow our valued partner community to differentiate themselves and reap the benefits of being recognized by customers for their in-depth Oracle technology or services expertise,” said Judson Althoff, Oracle Senior Vice President of Worldwide Alliances and Channels. “The new partner tools build on Oracle’s robust Enablement 2.0 resources and provide partners the resources they need to achieve specialization, more easily conduct business with both Oracle and customers, and gain the valuable training they need to grow their business and profit with Oracle.”
Supporting Resources

Oracle PartnerNetwork
OPN Specialized Main Page
OPN Specialized OPN Data Sheet
Oracle Remarketer, Silver, Gold and Platinum Data Sheets
OPN Specialized Training
Judson Althoff Blog
Connect with the Oracle Partner community at OPN on Oracle Mix, OPN on Twitter, OPN on Facebook, OPN on LinkedIn and OPN on YouTube.
About the Oracle PartnerNetwork

Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN) Specialized is the latest version of Oracle's partner program that provides partners with tools to better develop, sell, and implement Oracle solutions. OPN Specialized offers resources to train and support specialized knowledge of Oracle products and solutions and has evolved to recognize Oracle growing product portfolio, partner base, and business opportunity. Key to the latest enhancements to OPN is the ability for partners to differentiate through certified Specializations. Specializations are achieved through competency development, business results, expertise and proven success. Specialized partners are preferred by Oracle and recognized by customers. For more information, visit http://www.oracle.com/partners.

About Oracle

Oracle (NASDAQ: ORCL) is the world's largest business software company. For more information about Oracle, please visit our Web site at http://www.oracle.com.

Trademarks

Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.
Contact Info


Carol Sato
Oracle
+1.650.633.5551
carol.sato@oracle.com

Kristin Reeves
Blanc & Otus
+1. 415.856.5145
kreeves@blancandotus.com












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