The VAR Guy

Repeat after The VAR Guy: Old software strategies — developed in the 1980s and 1990s — DO work in the emerging IT channel for open source solutions. Skeptical? Here are 250 ways Red Hat successfully pushed beyond Linux to promote open source middleware to customers.

Fact is, Red Hat is leveraging Microsoft’s oldest secret to success: Before you pursue customers, you need to evangelize your products and development tools to ISVs (independent software vendors). That strategy created platform demand for Microsoft Windows, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Oracle’s database, and so on.

Now, Red Hat seems to be repeating that success in the open source middleware market, where the company has recruited 250 partners into the JBoss Certified ISV Program. According to Red Hat, the ISV program is:

“a fully-integrated component of the Red Hat Partner Program, will deliver software, support and cooperative sales and marketing benefits to independent software vendors that integrate their applications with industry-leading JBoss Enterprise platforms and frameworks.”

Some quick facts to note: Nearly 60 percent of Red Hat’s revenue comes through channel partners, and integrators that focus on JBoss typically make more than $10 in consulting services for every dollar they generate in JBoss software sales.

Red Hat isn’t the only open source company building a strong partner channel. The VAR Guy will publish a list of the top 50 channel-focused open source companies in December.

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