What about consultant partners?

Well, I guess I've already said I agree with you, so that is a bit redundant. In fact, I would go a little farther.

First step, the least that should be done, is to create a consultant partner program. There is one person who tells me they are a consultant partner, but I see no current evidence of their being such a program. Qualifying as a consultant partner should entitle one to PSDN participation and there should be cooperation opportunities.

The next step is to ask why PSDN is restricted at all, except from using any of the components in a commerical operation for production? What a great way to get copies of everything into a customer so that they can try it out. Then, when they find out that AppServer or whatever is a useful technology, having been able to do a pilot project, then they buy in for licenses.

I agree.

Let's be clear though that the "PSDN" in question is the "PSDN Premier" subscription. Not merely access to publically available resources such as these forums.

If there is actually such a thing as a "consulting partner" I'd certainly like to know more about it. And I'd be very curious to know why it is being kept secret.

PSDN Premier or Professional Subscriptions are available to APs, system integrators and consultants.

PSDN Premier or Professional Subscriptions are

available to APs, system integrators and consultants.

That's great news!

1) When did that start?

2) Where do I sign up?

This has been available since PSDN launched.

Regards

Kristen

No it hasn't.

I have been told repeatedly by sales people as well as by fairly highly placed executives that PSDN Premier is not available to anyone other than APs. I have actually tried to buy it you know. If that has changed it is a new, and welcome, change.

If PSDN Premier is, in fact, available to consultants then I would appreciate some details regarding how one obtains it because the obvious methods have not, to date, been effective.

My mistake. PSDN Professional is available to APs, Consultants and System Ingraters. Its true that Premier is not available only due to the fact that 99% of these smaller APs, SIs and Cs don't need to buy a Premier license (5 user).

We created the Professional (1 user) to accomidate the smaller customers and the lower cost. I would like to know the reasons a consultant would be interested in purchasing a Premier subscription. This will help me evaluate the need and consider expanding the offering in the future.

If you've been denied the Premier license, this is the reason. You certainly could buy a Professional license. However, you would need to talk to your sales rep. You should understand how they are classifing you in our system. Under the company name: Greenfield Tech, I have you as an direct end-user, which cannot purchase the subscription at this time. Again, I highly suggest you contact your sales account rep for further details.

Regards

Kristen

Thanks for the clarification.

I've been poking around a bit too.

It seems that on June 30th 2006 there was a quiet announcement (result #7 when you search for "partner" + "consultant") regarding the creation of the Professional subscription (apparently on April 2nd 2002). I certainly never heard a peep about it until just now and nobody ever offered it as an alternative.

As for why I would want "Premier" rather than "Professional":

1) The obvious bit about never having heard that "Professional" exists

2) The education coupons, the library CD and the CBTs all seem like things that I would want to have.

3) I don't know what the price difference is so I cannot say if the difference in features is worth paying more.

Well, you'd be happy to know that with the 2007.1 release (Dec) we are expanding the Professional Subscription to include education along with other new changes.

The cost of the yearly subscription is:

Premier: $7500 USD

Professional: $2995 USD

$1500 each additional user

You can get additional information about the PSDN subscriptions by simply clicking on the icon from the main page or this url:

http://www.psdn.com/library/entry.jspa?externalID=1022&categoryID=1

Regards

Kristen

Message was edited by:

Kristen Howell

Excellent! Thank you.

I've contacted the "account manager" whose name was printed on my name tag at the innovation roadshow. I'll keep the thread up to date with my progress.

This sounds very promissing with respect to the issues regarding PSDN. While I agree that it would be rare for a consultant to buy Premier, I don't see any reason not to make it available.

Still, I think the idea of consultant partners is a good one independent of the PSDN access.

The partner program manager is aware of the idea proposed. They will respond when the can.

As far as Premier being avaible to Consultants and SIs, I will certainly look into this as an option. When the team first introduced the professional subscription it was because of the smaller AP feedback with regards to the cost of the Premier and user count not needed. With the smaller customers not interested in Premier it wasn't a thought to even expand this offering to the them.

Again, I will keep the open as an option for the future.

Regards

Kristen

BTW, I will also repeat here the suggestion I have made elsewhere of adding a forum on PSDN for partners. This would be a great way to exchange thoughts about business issues in a much more inclusive way than occurs now.

Well I've heard back from my account manager...

Hi Tom,

The PSDN Premier and Professional memberships are sold to application

partners. Your account is coded a direct end user account. We do have

available the standard online PSDN membership.

So, the obvious question is, why are you coded as an end-user and what does it take to get this changed? And, if the rep isn't clever enough to make this change on his or her own, whom should you talk to?

I don't know, I shouldn't be. I am an end-user. I happen to have a purchased Progress application that I use. But I'm an AP's customer for that.

I am also a consultant and a former AP. Perhaps they're having difficulty managing my multiple personalities?

I have sent the rep a clarifying e-mail...

Perhaps they're having difficulty managing my multiple personalities?

Not been taking your meds?

Or an only-recently diagnosed condition?

I assure you ... not recent ...

Moving into 2007, the Progress Partner Program is evolving program structure, requirements, and resources to further support the Service Delivery Partner community, including consideration for individual consulting partners. The goal is to make technology and training materials available to this segment of the Progress community.

In addition to updating partners through communication channels (newsletters) and events, we will continue to update the Progress Resource Center (http://www.progress.com/resourcecenter), particularly the Partner Programs section.

I welcome any feedback on the program. Also, welcome additional thoughts on how important you feel it is to have a discussion forums, such as the Technology Forums on PSDN, that focus on business issues in the partner community.

Sadly the Resource Center URL seems to be restricted. So it's just a tad difficult to provide feedback.

IMHO the #1 thing on your agenda ought to be to get the word out that you even have a concept of something called a "Service Delivery Partner". Closely followed by information about how to become one. So far as I can tell "the SDP community" is, essentially, ignorant of your efforts.

Yes, I think that a forum for such issues makes sense. Although if it is going to be restricted (as the resource center apparently already is) there is a bit of a "chicken and the egg" problem...

A new high in stealth marketing ... one can only get the brouchure on partner programs if one is already a partner!

Given the minimal, non-secret content, Tom, I will send you one off line.

I have recently proposed to Neil Powers and others that we have a partner forum on PSDN. I think it would be a good way to have discussions about business issues such as licensing and pricing. So, yes, I think there should be one and I don't have a problem with it being restricted to partners, although clearly there should be information about partner programs which is publicly available.

I'm happy to report that I have successfully obtained the PSDN SDK.

I am also happy to report that, at first blush, it appears to be exactly what it was advertised as. CDs & DVDs with all Progress version 9 & OpenEdge Release 10 products plus Sonic products too. And a very long set of "green sheets".

You can get either electronic delivery or actual media (for an extra $400). If you go electronic you better have a very fat pipe and lots of spare time in your hands... If you go with the physical media you get a nice leather binder for the disks, green sheets, release notes, the "welcome" booklet and so forth. You even get a "Quick Reference" (formerly known as "Pocket Progress") and some "Getting Started" manuals.

As previously reported the sales force is essentially unaware that this product ("PSDN Professional") exists. That's hardly surprising since nobody else seems to be aware of its existence either. They do seem to have some awareness that PSDN Premier exists because their initial reaction was the same one that I have always gotten when pursuing this -- "that's only available to application partners".

So be prepared to educate your sales person. You will need to become a "development partner" or a "systems integrator". Awareness of these categories is also very low. Be persistent. Include links to the program description in your email

If you are known to them as an end user there may be some confusion as they do not seem to have considered that people may very legitimately wear multiple hats. In my case I am also an end user of an AP's help desk software (something which is obviously useful to a consultant). This caused no end of confusion for a couple of days -- there was understandable concern that I might be trying to go into competition with my AP. But a few phone calls fixed that.

Yes, partner forums could be a good thing, I can see it work.

Personally I do not think that a developers network is the right place to have a partner forum but we could always start there (or link or move it later).

It has our attention...

Happy to hear we "finally" allowed you to pay us

Kidding aside, when I raised your case here, it was clearly not a straight forward case and in all fairness, I can understand the reps confusion at first.

But as always, it's never black and white and if there's a will to have a true partnership, there's a way to overcome any hurdles. That you eventually sorted it out with the sales in a couple of days, that sounds good to me and should also encourage others to seriously look at PSDN Subscription as it has a lot of value.

For anyone reading the thread later, there's more info on PSDN Subscription:

http://www.psdn.com/library/entry.jspa?externalID=1022&categoryID=1

That you eventually

sorted it out with the sales in a couple of days,

that sounds good to me and should also encourage

others to seriously look at PSDN Subscription as it

has a lot of value.

That it took a couple of days to sort this out should indicate to PSC there's a problem that needs to be corrected. It should only have taken a couple of minutes, not days.

While I'm certainly pleased to finally have this straightened out and thrilled that it only took a couple of weeks for this most recent attempt to finally succeed, in truth it has taken years to successfully resolve this issue.

Hopefully lessons have been learned and the next person who wants to go pursue this path will fare better!

Given that PSDN hosts the beta forum and presumably it is a matter of permissions whether or not one sees this as an option, I see no reason one couldn't have a partner forum in the same place. I am much more likely to keep up with it, if it doesn't turn into yet another URL to check every day.

good point, so it should show up in the list of forums an individual wants to watch rather then showing all forums.