The Oracle Partner Network
The Oracle Partner Network (OPN) is the programme through which Oracle engages with all its partners, including Independent Software Vendors. There are over 15,000 partners worldwide, with close to 5000 ISV partners in the Europe, Middle East and Africa regions. In the UK, over 800 of these are members of OPN. As a member of OPN, you will have full access to all components of the programme which includes the OPN Interaction Centre, where a team of people are on hand to take your call and assist with partner enquiries. There is also a comprehensive web portal which contains all the information partners need - from education, development and technology to marketing and sales.
Oracle partner levels explained
There are a number of different partner levels to suit different needs. The links below provide further detail:
Silver
Gold
Platinum
Diamond
Partner benefits
This Oracle PDF explains the benefits of becoming an Oracle ISV Partner. Please click here...
Become an Oracle partner
It takes about 30 minutes for a company to join the Oracle Partner Network (OPN) Program and provide access to the OPN portal for its workers. There are three steps as follows:
Create a web account or sign in.
Complete the OPN membership application and submit payment for the annual enrollment fee.
Provide access to the OPN portal for work colleagues
For further information and to sign up, please click here...
Oracle Partner Communities
Oracle has six Partner Communities dedicated to supporting UK members of the Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN). They are free to join and provide a cohesive network of like-minded partners growing their business through communication, collaboration, innovation and information exchange. They cover the following:
Core Technology
Business Intelligence and Data Warehousing
Service Oriented Architecture
Security and Identity Management
Enterprise 2.0
Enterprise Performance Management
Blogs, forums, newsletters, portal pages and face-to-face events will help you to connect with other partners, compare approaches, share success stories and successful sales strategies, raise queries and form mutually beneficial business relationships. The communities will help keep you up-to-date with the latest Oracle information and expertise - including partner business opportunities with Oracle.
Benefits of being a Partner Community member include:
Participation in initiatives on partner enablement, partner awareness, competence, business development and joint sales engagement
Real world stories from those actually selling, implementing and integrating Oracle products
A single source for information, saving you time looking for what's relevant
The most up-to-date information about Oracle acquisitions and what they will mean to you and your peers
Skills gaps can be filled through information exchange and complementary relationships with other partners
Input into Oracle thinking and development, through the exchange of product experiences and strategies with other partners on forums, blogs, etc.
Click here to join the Partner Community - or Communities - of your choice.
Partner Technology Centre (PTC)
Oracle has a number of facilities and laboratories for partners to use for demonstration, proof of concept and migration purposes. These include the Enterprise Technology Centre and the Partner Technology Centre.
To find out more about the Partner Technology Centre, please click here...
PTC location
For details of the location, please click here...
Oracle ISV events
Throughout the year, there are a number of events that will interest Oracle ISVs. A good number are open Oracle events. These are generally held at the Oracle Thames Valley Park offices in Reading or their London City offices but a considerable number are hosted in major UK cities such as Birmingham, Edinburgh and Manchester. Oracle also runs events for signed up partners and some of these take place at their dedicated laboratories in Hatfield - the Oracle Partner Technology Centre.
Microsoft holds frequent events for .NET developers and these also tend to be held at Thames Valley Park but again, some are nationwide events.
For a schedule of Oracle Partner events and workshops, please click here...
UK Oracle User Group events are generally for members only. Please click here... for the latest schedule..
A schedule for Oracle University courses can be found here...