• The Four Hundred
  • Subscribe
  • Media Kit
  • Contributors
  • About Us
  • Contact
Menu
  • The Four Hundred
  • Subscribe
  • Media Kit
  • Contributors
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Infor Shows Flexibility as Reseller Channel Evolves

    January 20, 2009 Alex Woodie

    A couple of years ago, when Infor was still figuring out exactly what it owned following a string of acquisitions that made it one of the world’s three largest enterprise software vendors, the company irritated some of its reseller partners by mandating they sell only Infor solutions and drop competing products. Today, as the company refines its reseller model, it says those restrictions are in the past, and is displaying a more nuanced understanding of channel politics.

    As senior vice president of global partners, Dennis Michalis is in charge of the diverse group of partners peddling Infor products around the world. He’s tasked with making sure that Infor has the right mix of boots on the ground to successfully sell a huge catalog of ERP products to customers of different sizes, operating in various industries, and with a diverse mix of needs.

    It is not an easy job to juggle all the variables and get the right mix for success in 125 countries and tens of thousands of customers, and Michalis realizes that flexibility is perhaps the most important trait to achieve his goal.

    “We’ve looked at the dimensions of the relationship in a more sophisticated manner,” he says in an interview with IT Jungle. “They’re not just resellers–some of them are truly more professional services partners. They’re also re-marketers, and by the way, a real substantial extension of our support organization, for certain applications.

    “So we had to sophisticate ourselves to match the needs of the customer,” Michalis continues, “not just about getting them data sheets. It’s a whole lot more about, ‘Where are their strengths? Where are their investments? How can we leverage Infor’s infrastructure . . . to give partners the same kind of access as our direct teams?'”

    The reseller restrictions that Infor put in place nearly two and a half years ago are “ancient history,” Michalis says. In their place is a more “nuanced” approach that looks at the reseller’s entire business, he says. The enterprise software market is just so big and broad, there is room for diversity among reseller offerings.

    So, for example, if a reseller sells an Oracle product into the enterprise-level financial services space, it won’t exclude the company from selling an ERP LX (BPCS) product to midmarket automotive suppliers. Even though Infor might compete with Oracle on the financial services account, there is enough potential upside with the remaining midmarket automotive business that Infor won’t exclude the reseller from participating in the reseller program.

    However, resellers that carry other products besides Infor may not be entitled to the same level of resources (marketing dollars) as vendors that carry nothing but Infor products. There is flexibility built into the system, and it’s simply a matter of managing the multiple “layers” to Infor’s “global matrix,” Michalis says.

    Currently, Infor’s channel of 1,400 resellers around the world account for about 20 to 22 percent of the company’s revenues, which are currently about $2.2 billion, a percentage that hasn’t changed in several years. Michalis is happy with that percentage, and says he isn’t looking to change it much going forward, although it may shift in certain regions.

    There is always the possibility that VARs will compete against each other or against Infor’s direct sales force in certain regions, and Infor has rules of engagement to deal with “new logos,” or customers that are new to Infor, to protect territories.

    “When new logo hunting, there’s a registration policy that governs all behavior above and below the line,” Michalis says. “In North America, for example, it’s $100 million for discrete manufacturing for parent company. So the channel partner knows that they have protected territorial space below that marker.”

    All told, Infor is relying on resellers to keep the business moving forward. The new VAR drive that Infor launched in North America recently was preceded by similar drives in the EMEA and Asia-Pacific regions. In each region, being flexible and listening to the needs of the customers and partners is the name of the game.

    RELATED STORIES

    Infor Begins North American VAR Recruitment Drive

    Infor CEO Preaches Business Darwinism, Prepares for Hyper Business Future

    Infor Upgrades XA with Query, Inventory Enhancements

    Infor Launches EMEA Channel Recruitment Drive

    Infor Provides Details on SOA Roadmap

    In Formation: Q&A with Infor Chairman Jim Schaper

    Infor Tells Channel Partners to Focus on Infor Products



                         Post this story to del.icio.us
                   Post this story to Digg
        Post this story to Slashdot

    Share this:

    • Reddit
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • Email

    Tags:

    Sponsored by
    WorksRight Software

    Do you need area code information?
    Do you need ZIP Code information?
    Do you need ZIP+4 information?
    Do you need city name information?
    Do you need county information?
    Do you need a nearest dealer locator system?

    We can HELP! We have affordable AS/400 software and data to do all of the above. Whether you need a simple city name retrieval system or a sophisticated CASS postal coding system, we have it for you!

    The ZIP/CITY system is based on 5-digit ZIP Codes. You can retrieve city names, state names, county names, area codes, time zones, latitude, longitude, and more just by knowing the ZIP Code. We supply information on all the latest area code changes. A nearest dealer locator function is also included. ZIP/CITY includes software, data, monthly updates, and unlimited support. The cost is $495 per year.

    PER/ZIP4 is a sophisticated CASS certified postal coding system for assigning ZIP Codes, ZIP+4, carrier route, and delivery point codes. PER/ZIP4 also provides county names and FIPS codes. PER/ZIP4 can be used interactively, in batch, and with callable programs. PER/ZIP4 includes software, data, monthly updates, and unlimited support. The cost is $3,900 for the first year, and $1,950 for renewal.

    Just call us and we’ll arrange for 30 days FREE use of either ZIP/CITY or PER/ZIP4.

    WorksRight Software, Inc.
    Phone: 601-856-8337
    Fax: 601-856-9432
    Email: software@worksright.com
    Website: www.worksright.com

    Share this:

    • Reddit
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • Email

    Sponsored Links

    ARCAD Software:  FREE Webinar, ITIL Best Practices with Philippe Magne, January 28
    COMMON:  Join us at the 2009 annual meeting and expo, April 26-30, Reno, Nevada
    System i Developer:  RPG & DB2 Summit in Orlando, April 15-17 for 3 days of serious training

    IT Jungle Store Top Book Picks

    Easy Steps to Internet Programming for AS/400, iSeries, and System i: List Price, $49.95
    Getting Started with PHP for i5/OS: List Price, $59.95
    The System i RPG & RPG IV Tutorial and Lab Exercises: List Price, $59.95
    The System i Pocket RPG & RPG IV Guide: List Price, $69.95
    The iSeries Pocket Database Guide: List Price, $59.00
    The iSeries Pocket Developers' Guide: List Price, $59.00
    The iSeries Pocket SQL Guide: List Price, $59.00
    The iSeries Pocket Query Guide: List Price, $49.00
    The iSeries Pocket WebFacing Primer: List Price, $39.00
    Migrating to WebSphere Express for iSeries: List Price, $49.00
    iSeries Express Web Implementer's Guide: List Price, $59.00
    Getting Started with WebSphere Development Studio for iSeries: List Price, $79.95
    Getting Started With WebSphere Development Studio Client for iSeries: List Price, $89.00
    Getting Started with WebSphere Express for iSeries: List Price, $49.00
    WebFacing Application Design and Development Guide: List Price, $55.00
    Can the AS/400 Survive IBM?: List Price, $49.00
    The All-Everything Machine: List Price, $29.95
    Chip Wars: List Price, $29.95

    Server-Printer Combo Deal Results from IBM-Ricoh Alliance Redundant Join Criteria: Good or Bad Idea?

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Volume 9, Number 3 -- January 20, 2009
THIS ISSUE SPONSORED BY:

New Generation Software
Bytware
Maximum Availability
Guild Companies
VAULT400

Table of Contents

  • tekservePOS Launches i OS Software for Retailers at NRF
  • Jobscope’s Customer Focus is Made-to-Order
  • What’s Next from IBM Lotus?
  • Infor Shows Flexibility as Reseller Channel Evolves
  • i OS Jobs Spawn Anew with Halcyon’s Updated Scheduler
  • *noMAX Supports i OS Disk Encryption for HA
  • Notes and Exchange Co-Exist Peacefully, Thanks to Quest
  • Pat Townsend to Help Encrypt Data on Google Mobile Phones
  • PDF Takes Honors as Top Archive Format
  • Ricoh Launches New Color MFP

Content archive

  • The Four Hundred
  • Four Hundred Stuff
  • Four Hundred Guru

Recent Posts

  • Meet The Next Gen Of IBMers Helping To Build IBM i
  • Looks Like IBM Is Building A Linux-Like PASE For IBM i After All
  • Will Independent IBM i Clouds Survive PowerVS?
  • Now, IBM Is Jacking Up Hardware Maintenance Prices
  • IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 27, Number 24
  • Big Blue Raises IBM i License Transfer Fees, Other Prices
  • Keep The IBM i Youth Movement Going With More Training, Better Tools
  • Remain Begins Migrating DevOps Tools To VS Code
  • IBM Readies LTO-10 Tape Drives And Libraries
  • IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 27, Number 23

Subscribe

To get news from IT Jungle sent to your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter.

Pages

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Contributors
  • Four Hundred Monitor
  • IBM i PTF Guide
  • Media Kit
  • Subscribe

Search

Copyright © 2025 IT Jungle