Progress aims to get embedded with parters: Software company promises greater support

US-based Progress Software has launched a new partner program in which the software company takes a greater strategic role in a business.

Progress produces software tools which are embedded into the systems value-added resellers and integrators use, and makes e-business applications for end-users.

The company has 52 Application Partners in Australia, with development in ERP applications, POS applications, financial services, waste management and automotive dealership.

Previously, the company’s three-tier model was based largely on sales, with its Application Partners generating about half of its Australian revenue and the company’s direct sales force the other half.

Now, Progress wants its partners to generate 60 per cent of company revenue. To achieve this, it will offer more one-to-one meetings with channel partners so they can learn more about Progress’s tools and incorporate them into their solutions.

Progress would also help partners with business plans, technical planning, application roadmaps, best practice and Web-based tools, Asia-Pacific vice-president, Larry DiLoreto, said.

The company employs 28 staff in Australia, including five in sales and six in professional services. Over the next year, it plans to recruit between six and 12 Application Partners.

“Our new system has significantly strengthened the partnership between the companies," Di Loreto said. "We are now working with them closely to help them win the business. Each partner also has an identified account manager. This is not a one-sided sales function but a one-to-one consultative approach."