Sun Microsystems India that recently announced strategy to reinvent its Identity Management (IM) business is planning to add more value-added partners for the same. The IM solutions will be rolled out across India, and the company will initially target the telecom, BFSI, GEH, retail and manufacturing verticals.

According to Manish Malhotra, Director (Software), Sun India, "In India, identity management, SOA and MySQL represent top areas of focus for Sun under the enhanced Sun Partner Advantage Programme with the introduction of the open access channel programme, and a set of new software specialties. The software specialties programme, which was launched in the US in November 2008, is the first such programme we have launched in India. The programme provides Sun and its partners with new ways to reach new customers, open new markets and grow their businesses."

Under the programme, partners get specialized product and delivery programme training focusing on a specialized technology area like identity management or MySQL. Customers can have confidence in partners that have achieved specialties designation and accreditation from Sun. The programme ensures partners gain the necessary expertise, and have ongoing access to resources and tools to deploy their specialties, he said.

For the resellers, software specialties provides a new entry-point into the Sun Partner Advantage Programme to enable partners providing these high-value integration and consulting services to solve their customers' most urgent business problems including, the need to quickly develop new applications, run them more securely, connect with more customers, protect user identities and provide a more flexible infrastructure for their company's growth. The programme provides a framework for reseller partners to engage with Sun, and build successful practices around software technologies that solve customer problems.

Malhotra said the programme helps partners expand their integration services expertise for high value services-rich deployments, grow top line revenue and margins and differentiate themselves from their competitors by providing customers more value with comprehensive solutions. "Partner investment is limited to resourcing their business initiative around integration and consulting services, while Sun provides the training, accreditation and the necessary tools and intellectual capital to sell and deploy customer solutions around software, including identity management."

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