Oracle’s SAM Verified Partner Program — what we know so far
As part of CloudWorld, Oracle made some details of their new SAM Verified Partner program known. This was not a ‘public’ announcement with an associated press release. Limited detail is available at this time and so caveats apply to the initial observations below. The program is expected to launch in November 2022.
More analysis will take place as more information becomes available but here’s what we currently know about Oracle’s SAM Partner Program and also how it compares to our experience of other such programmes (such as IBM’s Authorised SAM Partner (IASP) — yes, we also have expertise in IBM licensing!)
For those who have familiarity with the JPE (Joint Partner Engagement) program (which runs in limited regions), where Oracle audits are run by certain Oracle partners for no fee/reward, Oracle’s SAM Verified Partner programme is slightly different: being orientated towards on-going license management rather than audits- and is expected to be more widespread.
Expect a large number of SAM Verified Partners to ‘spring up’ offering to help you manage your licenses.
Overview
At this time, the program does not look to be as ‘formal’ or large-scale as IBM’s IASP model; Oracle customers and partners will have the choice to opt in (or not) to the program.
The program appears to slot into the existing Oracle Partner Network (OPN) framework and so partners will almost certainly have to meet certain criteria for certifications. It is worth bearing in mind that certifications do not always equal experience.
The program seems to pass some of the existing license work Oracle perform (either as part of GLAS or Software Investment Advisory (SIA)) to partners who opt in; this will give Oracle SIA (and GLAS, to some degree) scale and bring more customers under some sort of ‘approved’ management — meaning customers will be able to ask questions of partners for an ‘official’ answer –ultimately this will still require Oracle input for non-trivial questions.
It is expected that the thinking behind this will position the partner to be the ‘natural’ choice for license and cloud service purchases — of course, it is likely that the cloud will form a large part of the proposed solutions from any such partner.
At this time it is unknown how this program will affect Oracle’s Software Investment Advisory (SIA) team whose remit was to provide non-audit-related Oracle licensing support.
JPE-like?
For those familiar with Oracle’s Joint Partner Engagement (JPE) agreement, the SAM Verified Program is similar in some ways but on a larger scale, more formalised (via OPN) and likely to be global. A ‘classic’ JPE engagement is used by Oracle to allocate certain partners to work on Oracle’s behalf (with some limitations) to review and report on the compliance of an estate (with Oracle’s oversight) and then transact any subsequent shortfalls.
No mention is made as to whether these SAM Verified partners will be permitted to formally audit a customer on behalf of Oracle –however, I think that is unlikely; it is expected to be presented as a partnership based on proactive ongoing management. It is worth saying that Oracle won’t want to lose all control of audits to SAM partners so I expect these to continue to be run by Oracle and perhaps JPE partners.
With the use of OPN, it is expected that Oracle will have criteria for partners to meet in order to be part of this program —this is also likely to mean that SAM Verified partners will be ‘searchable’ on Oracle’s website — unlike JPE partners.
Comparisons to IBM’s IASP program
As mentioned above, there are a number of differences to other approved vendor programs; in the below table, I compare the IBM IASP program and what we currently know about Oracle’s program. You will note that IBM offers incentives for customers using this program; as far as we know, Oracle are not planning any incentives at this time.
Motivations
It is expected that partners will be ‘rewarded’ with introductions to opted-in customers to manage and build relationships; implying ongoing deals and transactions to be routed via that partner. As far as we have seen, the customer will have to come to an agreement with any participating partner to pay for any services.
We have no view at this time of any requirements for the partner to share information with Oracle about discussions they have with the customer.
This type of verification is likely to result in a number of partners who have previously had no experience in licensing entering the ‘marketplace’ as SAM Verified Partners. Caution should be applied when considering a verified partner and a thorough understanding of the partner’s experience, independence and motivations are recommended. Bear in mind that an inexperienced partner may give incorrect advice or have to refer to Oracle on your behalf.
You should not necessarily take any verification as an indicator of ‘real-world’ experience about Oracle licensing. Due diligence about a partner’s knowledge and independence should be additional checks you should undertake
Considerations
So should you, as a licensee, opt-in to this program? That remains to be seen at this time. You should ask yourself what is in it for you at this point? You always need to consider the motives of any partner you work with: are they working to optimise your licenses or sell you more? The fundamentals of how to manage your licenses and cloud services haven’t changed — you are still responsible and so you should ensure you have a trusted and independent advisor by your side to do this; Brian Lavelle from our team here at Version 1 blogged about the various choices in 2019: a lot of this is still very relevant even with the introduction of the SAM Verified program; I strongly advise you to read that blog.
When we find out more about the program, we will share more information. As ever, if you have any questions on Oracle licensing in general, please visit our website or contact us directly.
About The Author
Paul Bullen is a Principal Oracle License Consultant at Version 1 and has been helping organisations independently manage their Oracle license estates since 2001.
