What is Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN)?

How does Oracle PartnerNetwork work?

OPN is structured to streamline the engagement between Oracle and its partners. Partners choose from multiple cloud tracks such as Cloud Build, Cloud Sell and Cloud Service that help them integrate Oracle solutions into their offerings and bring them to market. These tracks are designed to support different aspects of business engagement with Oracle, from development and commercialization to implementation and management of Oracle Cloud solutions.

Oracle PartnerNetwork offers partners five tracks to choose from. Each track is equipped with specific enablers, including tools and resources that provide partners with expertise and core capabilities to serve their customers. These enablers include access to environments, technical assistance, and sales and marketing resources.

The following five tracks available to VARs, ISVs and other businesses participating in the partnership program:

• Cloud Build. The Cloud Build track is for partners developing software and services that incorporate Oracle Cloud technologies. It provides access to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure for testing and development, along with skill training opportunities through enrollment in Oracle University Cloud Learning Subscriptions.
• Cloud Sell. The Cloud Sell track focuses on partners that resell Oracle Cloud products, offering targeted enablement resources to meet customer needs.
• Cloud Service. The Cloud Service track supports partners involved in the cloud adoption lifecycle, including assessment, implementation, migration and ongoing management of Oracle Cloud services. This track offers technical assistance, sales, marketing tools and a dedicated OPN Technical Assistance Community Forum to foster partner collaboration.
• Industry Healthcare. This track is designed for healthcare products and services providers that have offerings built with Oracle Cloud and Oracle Health technologies.
• License and Hardware. This track is designed for partners involved in building, servicing or selling products with Oracle software licenses or hardware products.

How to become an OPN partner

An organization wishing to join Oracle PartnerNetwork must be established for at least six months and have a minimum of five employees. This baseline ensures that the prospective partner can deliver on mutual strategies for customer success. An eligible organization must take the following steps to enroll in OPN:

• Create a free Oracle Account using a business email.
• Engage with Oracle Partner Journey Builder to share business model and go-to-market goals and receive tailored recommendations from Oracle.
• Complete a Go To Market Interest form.
• Review and accept the OPN membership terms and the Partner Code of Ethics and Business Conduct.
• Submit the application and pay the associated fees, including the base membership fee and additional costs for each track selected.

Key features of OPN

Oracle PartnerNetwork has several key features, including the following:

• Flexible membership structures designed to meet different business needs.
• Access to Oracle Expertise, which validates skills and demonstrates proven customer success.
• Access to marketing and sales customer support resources.
• Five tracks that align with different business strategies.
• Listing on Oracle Cloud Marketplace to help find customers and prospects.
• Eligibility to participate in Oracle events.
• Educational resources such as Oracle University offered at a discount.
• Discounts and credits for development and testing.

Challenges of OPN

There are several challenges associated with Oracle PartnerNetwork:

• Role and privilege restrictions. Only those assigned the partner administrator role can edit company details and access the Users page to manage permissions and access control.
• License compliance. Partners must adhere to rigorously audited terms of development and demonstration licenses.
• Technical issues. OPN doesn't support cross-region replication for certain situations, such as customer-managed keys and failures in attaching block volumes to instances.
• Outdated or insufficient technology. In these instances, technology issues can impact execution and analysis phases of customer engagement.
• Restrictions and availability of benefits. Regional and legal that can limit certain benefits among some partners.

OPN membership levels

As is typical with most channel programs, OPN benefits increase incrementally with each ascending program tier. Benefits for the tier levels include the following, according to Oracle:

• Remarketer. The program's base level partners can sell any Oracle product that's available through the Oracle 1-Click Ordering program and resell the Oracle Database Appliance.
• Silver. Silver-level partners receive access to a restricted knowledge base and learning content; invitations to partner-only events; discounts on Oracle University products, services and learning credits; use of Oracle partner branding and logos; marketing and sales kits; discounts to advertise in Oracle publications; public relations partner assistance and guidelines; deal registration through the Oracle Open Market Model Resale Initiative; referral opportunities; development and demonstration licenses; visibility in and access to leads through the OPN Solutions Catalog; business practice and pricing training; and support assistance from the Partner Business Center.
• Gold. Gold membership adds the ability to sell from the entire Oracle portfolio, eligibility for phone-based partner management support, free assessment and exam vouchers, eligibility to publish partner-led events to Oracle.com/events and discounts on Oracle programs licensed for internal use.
• Platinum. Benefits for Platinum-level partners include a designated Oracle Partner Business Consultant, eligibility to participate in Partner Advisory Boards, eligibility to be featured on Oracle.com, eligibility for marketing development funds (MDF), eligibility to speak at Oracle customer-facing events, access to contact lists for marketing campaigns, access to the Advanced Customer Support Services expertise and exposure on ACS's internal website; and co-marketing and lead generation support for mutual campaigns.
• Diamond. Partners that earn Diamond status receive access to an Oracle Global Alliance Manager and a dedicated Global Partner Manager, as well as priority allocation of annual global MDF, among other benefits.

How to achieve new OPN statuses

Each Oracle PartnerNetwork level has specific requirements for partner competencies, annual revenue and annual fees. The Oracle website includes the following requirements for earning program statuses:

• Remarketer. Remarketer partners don't have to meet any program requirements, nor do they have to sign a contract or pay a fee to join the program.
• Silver. Oracle's requirement for Silver members is an annual membership fee of $500.
• Gold. Gold partners must pay an annual membership fee of $2,995.
• Platinum. Platinum-level partners have to achieve competency requirements and pay an annual membership fee of $9,995.
• Diamond. Diamond partners' annual revenue must exceed $100 million, with a minimum of $25 million in software license and cloud services co-sell revenue. Diamond partners must also achieve 30 qualifying specializations -- or a combination of 30 qualifying specializations, applications and integrations. They pay an annual membership fee of $9,995 and must publish four customer references per year, complete an annual business plan and have at least three dedicated business development managers.

Oracle PartnerNetwork cloud programs

To help support channel sales of its cloud offerings, Oracle has invested in developing a cloud channel. In February 2016, the vendor launched the OPN Cloud Program. The program featured four tiers -- Cloud Standard, Cloud Select, Cloud Premier and Cloud Elite -- each with its own training and sales requirements. The OPN Cloud Program appears to be part of the overall OPN program now.

Oracle also offers the Cloud Excellence Implementer Program, which recognizes partners with cloud implementation practices. OPN members can also become an Oracle Cloud Solutions Provider. This program is for partners that build, deploy, run and manage Oracle Cloud workloads, providing or intending to provide managed services.

Oracle PartnerNetwork is a channel partnership program with an emphasis on cloud computing and Oracle technology. Learn the pros and cons of cloud computing.