Value-add project to enable resellers

Johannesburg, 05 Feb 1999

Following close on the heels of the global launch designed to introduce the Value Added Distributor (VAD) programme to the channel, the local office of Lotus Development and IBM have confirmed the appointment of Datatec Workgroup as the first African VAD. One of only twelve such distributors in the world to be awarded this status.

The VAD Programme provides resellers with technical training leading to Certified Lotus Engineer accreditation and IBM Software accreditation, pre sales support and a number of training seminars per year for both Lotus and IBM Business Partners and other Resellers. It is also designed to support and increase skills within the reseller community.

Steve Ayres, partner/sales manager at Lotus and IBM , says the initiative, designed to impart the necessary skills to implement solutions to a market hungry for e-Business capabilities, plugs a gap in the channel for resellers who do not yet have the ability to implement e-business solutions with , for example, Notes and Domino, yet want to cash in on the business opportunities.

Lotus technology has moved away from being high-volume, commodity-based personal productivity applications and towards providing e-business solutions, which requires greater skills from resellers, says Ayres. Datatec`s new VAD status supports resellers and makes it easier to get involved on the ground level. The resellers see the business, need the business and they need the skills, so it is in their best interests to leverage off the VAD programme.

He goes on to say that the programme opens up more possibilities as resellers get appointed as Lotus or IBM Business Partners and as their skill levels meet the necessary requirements via Certified Lotus Professionals or IBM accredited engineers.

Datatec`s Doug Wooley says he believes the appointment will see the channel benefiting considerably from the initiative. ?Implementing e-business solutions is not our core business but we see it as the future for resellers who will now be able to accomplish this with ease using our VAD skills base.

Lotus

The Lotus Business Partner Programme supports the worldwide industry of more than 19,500 independent companies that develop and market Lotus-based products and services. The mission of the Business Partner Program is to advance the industry around Lotus products by attracting, empowering, leveraging and differentiating Business Partners to yield the highest return for Lotus` customers, Partners and the company itself. The tremendous interest in messaging, the Internet/intranets and client/server applications from customers throughout the world has created a large opportunity for Partners that can help apply these technologies towards organisational effectiveness.

Lotus Development Corporation, founded in 1982, is a subsidiary of IBM Corporation Lotus offers high quality software products and services that reflect the company`s unique understanding of the new ways in which individuals and businesses must work together to achieve success. Lotus` innovative approach is evident in a new class of applications that allow users to access and communicate information in ways never before possible,

both within and beyond organisational boundaries. Lotus now markets its products in more than 80 countries worldwide and provides numerous professional consulting, support and education services through the Lotus Professional Services Group.

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