Fuente: © Sun
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SUN: Sun Microsystems Unveils New Channel Resources and Tools to Strengthen Collaboration with Partners

Sun Partner Advantage Program Enhancements Underscore Sun's Commitment to Equipping Partners with New Vehicles for Growing their Businesses

/noticias.info/ SANTA CLARA, CA July 9, 2008 Sun Microsystems, Inc. (NASDAQ: JAVA) today announced enhancements to the Sun Partner Advantage(SPA) Program that provides channel partners with access to a new community that fosters collaboration, enables communication with other Sun partners and builds valuable relationships. Additionally, Sun will provide a new tool for partners to better demonstrate the financial benefits of deploying Sun solutions to their customers. These enhancements are part of Sun's ongoing efforts to work hand-in-hand with partners to help them streamline the sales process and grow their business.

"At Sun, we put partners first - they are truly our colleagues within the Sun community and work with us towards the same goal of continually growing our businesses while satisfying our customers' needs. Their success is our success," said Bill Cate, Senior Director, Global Channel Marketing, Sun Microsystems. "That is why we are committed to constantly updating and innovating the Sun Partner Advantage Program. With these new tools and resources, we have thoroughly embraced the vision of 'community,' and further opened the lines of communication that will help our joint sales efforts continue to thrive."

"The ExecConnect by Sun online community is going to open up a great deal of collaboration situations for us," said John Murphy, Executive Vice President, Advanced Systems Group, a Sun channel partner. "I especially like the Executive Forum section, it will provide opportunities to share successes and competitive advantages. This is just another example of how Sun continues to enhance the Sun Partner Advantage Program by giving us needed resources and tools to help grow our business."

The new Sun Partner Advantage Program enhancements include ExecConnect by Sun and the Sun Value Platform.

ExecConnect by Sun
ExecConnect by Sun delivers a social networking environment that fosters collaboration for generating new ideas, discovering opportunities and building alliances. This online community, now available to Executive level channel partners, provides a secure and open forum to gather and share industry knowledge and build relationships. ExecConnect by Sun provides special privileges that enhance networking collaboration among Sun's channel partners worldwide. While currently available to Executive level partners, Sun plans to expand this new online forum to include additional channel partners in the future.

Sun Value Platform
The Sun Value Platform is a Web-based sales tool that helps partners communicate the financial benefits of deploying Sun products and solutions to both existing and prospective customers. The tool offers insights around infrastructure, staffing, performance and risk areas, arming partners with proof points to help increase deal size and reduce the sales cycle. Matching Sun's commitment to eco-responsibility, the Sun Value Platform also includes eco-metrics like power, cooling, floor space and carbon emissions.

These newly announced resources and tools add considerable capabilities to the SPA Program which rewards channel partners with benefits to help generate higher margins, greater revenues and shorten the sales cycle.

Current benefits of the SPA program include free training; providing Sun equipment on a trial basis; the Try and Buy Program which allows customers to try Sun equipment free-of-charge for 60 days; the Partner Growth Fund which is a progressive accrual program that provides funding for equipment, demand generation, and more; partner rebates and discounts, a comprehensive Partner Directory and syndicated catalogs.

For more information about the new SPA Program enhancements, please visit www.sun.com/partners.

About the Sun Partner Advantage Program

The Sun Partner Advantage Program is designed for partners seeking to differentiate themselves in the marketplace with innovative solutions based on Sun technology. The program enables Sun and its partners to deliver end-to-end IT solutions to our customers and grow profitably together. The Sun Partner Advantage Program is a flexible, predictable program based on progressive membership levels, where partners are rewarded for increased commitment, performance and value.
About Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Sun Microsystems develops the technologies that power the global marketplace. Guided by a singular vision -- "The Network is the Computer" -- Sun drives network participation through shared innovation, community development and open source leadership. Sun can be found in more than 100 countries and on the Web at http://sun.com.

Sun, Sun Microsystems, Java, the Sun logo and the "Network is the Computer" are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. notas_de_prensa_archivo