Oracle OPN Specialized: Catching On?

oracle_opn_specialized

News comes and goes faster than ever. When Oracle activated the OPN Specialized partner program in December 2009 it was the hot news of the day. But most media companies, bloggers and VARs move on quickly… we’re all busy tracking the “next” piece of business or technology news that will help solutions providers propel their business forward.

Hello Again (And Again)

Still, Oracle won’t let the media or partners forget about OPN Specialized. The messages are everywhere — from the Oracle Partner Twitter feed to Althoff’s blog.

Now here’s the irony: Specialization isn’t “new” in the channel. Cisco Systems has been preaching about partner specialization for roughly five years or so. But Oracle’s marketing team has been working overtime to put Oracle’s own stamp on partner specialization.

Is the effort working? Hmmm… It’s hard to miss all the messaging. No doubt, big integrators are jumping on the OPN Specialized bandwagon. And The VAR Guy hears partner attendance at recent Oracle virtual events has exceeded expectations.

Still, it’s early in the OPN Specialized game. The VAR Guy is curious to see if OPN Specialized trickles down into the SMB (small and mid-size business market). Plus, our resident blogger will watch closely as Oracle’s pending takeover of Sun Microsystems nears approval.

Since the Sun deal is still pending, Althoff can’t say much about how OPN Specialized will potentially benefit Sun and MySQL partners. But you can bet Althoff’s white board already has some key Sun and MySQL messaging scribbled upon it…

Specialized MySQL… Specialized Solaris… Hmmm….