Change in IBM software licenses & maintenance purchasing

IBM has designed a new way for you to purchase your IBM software & maintenance, imposing higher quality criteria for resellers. This will reduce the number of resellers (so called controlled distribution model). With this change IBM wants to increase the value you receive when engaging with your business partner.

The new strategy – called Software Value Plus or SVP - will provide you with more targeted IBM solutions, faster deployments and reduced implementation risk.

How does it affect you?

IBM Software group will organize it's software portfolio into 2 categories:

1. Open products: these can be acquired through all IBM Business Partners.
2. Authorised products: these can only be purchased via a limited number of Authorised partners like GFI. These products are for example Lotus QuickR, Lotus Connections, Lotus Sametime, WebSphere Portal etc.

These changes will apply to both new license sales, as well as to your annual subscription and support renewals. Also note that while Lotus Notes/Domino licenses are currently still in the open products category, they will also move to the authorized products category. GFI already meets the requirements to resell Lotus Domino and Notes as authorized reseller.

GFI as authorized reseller

We are happy to announce that GFI, being a Premier Business Partner for many years and through its investments in training, certifications and proven track record in implementations has been qualified to resell a large number of softwares and maintenances. This means we have not only authorization but also that we can offer the most competitive rates.

To become an authorized reseller, you need at least 2 certified technical experts and one certified sales person in a specific area. GFI has been authorized to resell following software licenses in the authorized products category:

• Rational Software
• Lotus Software: Portal and Social Software and Unified Communications (SS&UC) (Quickr, Connections, Sametime) - we were the first partner in Belgium to have the required certificates
• Information Management Software: ECM/Heritage
• Websphere Software: Websphere Core products and BPM

GFI can still sell all licenses in the open products category. We can also provide complimentary tools that complement IBM’s solutions in the areas of Web 2.0, Content Management, CRM etc.