Oracle > New this week

Opportunity Bank is a confidential database full of highly detailed information on your existing Oracle/Sun server, storage and software sales and – more importantly – your future Oracle upsell and replacement opportunities.

The Opportunity Bank tool will provide you with a customized starting point for identifying the sales opportunities in your install base. Here you’ll get a snapshot of the total dollar amount of your opportunities – potential upsell and replace sales for servers, storage and software.

With Avnet's exclusive tool, you have the capability to show your customers the cost savings of upgrading now!

What does it do for you? - It gives you all the information you need to plan targeted sales calls:

• End-of-life data: Lets you know exactly when products you’ve sold go end of life or end of service life, so you can plan replacement sales opportunities.

• Product recommendations: Which replacement products are recommended.

• Product comparisons: How much a replacement can increase capacity, reduce power use and maintenance costs, giving your customers hard facts on their ROI.

• Integrated marketing tools: Right in this tool, you can build a slide deck for an internal sales report or a great-looking, detail-rich customer presentation.

For more information, contact your Avnet Oracle account development manager or email: ats-oracle-solutions-marketing@avnet.com.

Terri Thomas / Senior Marketing Project Leader / 480-794-2561

Planning to win an Oracle Excellence Award for Specialized Partner of the Year? View this brief webinar from Oracle to know what they're looking for in their 2012 nominees.

OPN Link for Partners/Employees:http://oukc.oracle.com/static09/opn/login/?t=checkusercookies|r=-1|c=1167212051

Aubrey Gaeta / Sr. Marketing Project Leader / 303-545-1133

Change is coming to the systems that power Oracle’s deal registration processes. Oracle partners will see changes happening in two phases.

Beginning on June 1, 2012, the approval process for deal registrations will move to Oracle's Fusion Applications. Partners will continue to use the existing deal registration tool which will interface to Fusion.

In the fall of 2012, the deal registration interface will move to the Oracle Partner Store (OPS). At that time, OPS will be renamed Oracle Partner Gateway to reflect its increased functionality. The Oracle Partner Gateway will become the single source for partners to register deals, get deal status and place orders. Partners will receive more information about the move of deal registration to OPS starting in late summer.

What changes can partners expect in June? Beginning on June 1, 2012, deal registration approvals will migrate to Fusion. Partners will continue to use the existing deal registration tool which will interface to Fusion – this means that your current log-in screens, passwords, etc. will all remain the same. The tool itself will retain most of its current functions. However, you may experience delays in obtaining approvals/opportunity IDs, especially at go-live (beginning June 1). If you have questions about this or need assistance please contact either your channel manager or the Oracle Partner Business Center.

How should partners prepare?
We recommend that you take these steps prior to June 1, 2012, to prepare for the changes:

Review/action any un-submitted deal registrations prior to May 28, 2012:
- Please take time between now and May 28 to review and/or action any un-submitted deal registrations so they can be reviewed by Oracle in advance of the June 1 system changeover date.
Prepare for possible delays in registration approvals at go-live (June 1, 2012):
- We anticipate some delay in approvals of partner deal registrations at go-live, so please take this into consideration and ensure you’ve submitted all of your registrations prior to May 28, 2012.

Contact your channel manager or the Oracle Partner Business Center if you have questions before the cut over date.

Janine Mueller / Sr. Marketing Manager, Brand / 303-544-6621

In June 2012, Oracle will launch a redesign to the Specialization Program.

The program will be redesigned to appropriately recognize product versions. When the suite of products within a Specialization has significantly changed product versions (e.g., Database 11g to Database 12c) a new Specialization will be created.

Partners will be expected to migrate to the newest product version within one year of the version launch date.

Partners maintaining the most current product version Specialization will receive Specialization benefits and their Specializations will count towards meeting Platinum and Diamond membership criteria.

In the upcoming months Partners will see updates on the Oracle PartnerNetwork (“OPN” Portal) and to some of the tools that you use, such as the OPN Competency Center.

Overview of the changes:
- Your existing Specialization(s) will be renamed with the correct product version number and will remain valid for as long as the product version remains current. The new Specialization nomenclature will be visible in PRM, OPN Competency Center, Specialization Tracker and the Solutions Catalog. Specialization renewals will no longer be required. When the Specialization product version changes you will simply apply for the new Specialization.
- Logos with the product version will soon be available on the portal
- Changes will be made to the OPN Policies supporting the redesign.
Stay tuned for more information or contact your Oracle Channel Manager.

Janine Mueller / Sr. Marketing Manager, Brand / 303-544-6621

In an effort to keep focused on Oracle year end, all Oracle software funding requests will be suspended between May 16 and May 31. If you have any marketing activity that you would like to complete during the last week of Oracle's Q4, please enter it into the funding request portal (www.sellwithavnet.com/success) as soon as possible. Starting May 16 requests may be entered but will be held at the Avnet approver level until June 1.

For any questions or concerns please email aubrey.gaeta@avnet.com or meg.benjamin@avnet.com

Aubrey Gaeta / Sr. Marketing Project Leader / 303-545-1133

Partners will be able to showcase their customer success story to more than 100,000 executive-level customers, as well as get placed in front of 300,000+ customers in the Oracle Executive Strategy Newsletter and on Profit Online. There are also advertising and advertorial opportunities available.

If you are an Oracle Specialized Partner, this is for you! The Specialized Issue of Profit Magazine will include a collection of the most innovative Partner Success Stories from our Specialized partners around the world, and is Profit Magazine’s first Specialized Partners issue.

Oracle is looking for:

- Brand name customers in respective industries
- Innovative use of Oracle Technologies
- Multiple Oracle applications deployment
- Use of Hardware and Software solutions
- Oracle Database Application, Oracle Exadata or Exalogic stories
- Fusion Application, SOA
- Newsworthy story with an original angle
- Impactful implementation of Oracle products

The Process: Oracle will evaluate the story and notify those partners/customers if selected. Oracle will then set up a time to interview both the partner and customer. Oracle will write the story and offer for approval before publication.

To Submit a Story: Please click here to access the Profit Specialized Issue landing pad and fill out the necessary information. The story must be completed (written by Oracle and approved by the customer) before May 15, 2012 to be eligible for this issue.

It typically takes 4-6 weeks to complete a story so please plan accordingly.
For more information: Please contact opncomms_ww@oracle.com for Success Story entries and Tom.Cometa@oracle.com for advertising/advertorial opportunities.

Janine Mueller / Sr. Marketing Manager, Brand / 303-544-6621

Oracle PartnerNetwork Exchange at OpenWorld premiers this year with a dedicated program of keynotes and sessions created to enhance the opportunities for partners to learn from and network with Oracle executives and experts.

The new program also provides for more informal opportunities throughout the week to meet up with those individuals who are most important to your business: customers, prospects and colleagues. Click here to register.

Janine Mueller / Sr. Marketing Manager, Brand / 303-544-6621