BMC Advances Worldwide Partner Network

HOUSTON, Oct. 9, 2006 – BMC Software today announced significant enhancements to its worldwide Partner Network, including:

• A three-tier model to classify reseller and services partners, including a new Elite tier comprised of organizations that have committed significant resources to growing their Business Service Management (BSM) business with BMC;
• Improved discounting, compensation and sales incentives for high-performing partners;
• Significant training and sales enablement resources.

Developed to increase partner profits and provide better incentives to grow partners’ BMC revenue, the BMC Partner Network now classifies partners into three categories – Elite, Premier, and Member.  Beginning with Member, each tier provides greater benefit for partners demonstrating a commitment to selling and implementing BMC solutions. Moreover, the new program places an emphasis on the ease of doing business with BMC.  Previously unavailable, BMC now offers Elite and Premier partners multi-year contracts. 

“At BMC, partners are an extension of our own sales and services department, and these advances to our Partner Network Program are designed to bring our strategic partners even closer to our business and solutions,” said Lori Cook, Vice President of Professional Services and Channels, BMC Software.  “There is a need to give our partners resources that not only help them as technology enablers, but also to become trusted advisors to our customers.  Our Partner Network truly focuses on providing our partners with the opportunities and resources required to develop and improve their relationships with customers.”

 “As a partner committed to BMC and Business Service Management, we are so excited that BMC is investing and recognizing the partners who are investing heavily with BMC,” said Tim Yario, CEO, Column Technologies.  “Adding an Elite tier helps BMC identify organizations that are truly critical to their business.  It’s clear that BMC is putting resources behind its most strategic partners and that will help Column’s business and in turn, BMC’s.”

Other enhancements and additions to the BMC Partner Network include:

• BMC Partner Advisory Council: Designed to collect input and feedback on BMC products, strategies, and partner programs, the Partner Advisory Council provides a direct voice for partners into the BMC organization.
• BMC Flight Deck: BMC today introduced the BMC Flight Deck Program, which provides partners with a fully functional demonstration environment available on demand, anytime via a standard Internet connection eliminating the time, cost, and storage issues that often plague software demonstrations.
• BSM Certification: The industries only BSM quality assurance program, BSM Certification is a clear distinguisher for our partners who have extensive BSM capabilities.  The Certification assures customers of a partner’s capabilities to deliver solutions that enable a BSM approach.
• Sales Incentives Program: Under this program, launched to help partners grow their BSM business, BMC has increased customer discounts for Premier and Elite partners.
• Education and Training: With an emphasis on continuing the significant growth already experienced by the BMC Partner Network, more frequent and higher quality education and training opportunities are now available to all partners including partner inclusion in BMC’s internal sales and technical training forums.

Having already begun to improve the education and training programs for the BMC Partner Network, the value is already being realized by partners across the globe: 

“Being able to attend BMC’s internal sales and technical education forums was one of the most valuable events that I have attended as a partner.  Most vendors do not think to include partners in such events, briefing us at a separate event held at a later date,” said Ken Stainsby, President, Nashco Solutions.  “By participating in internal BMC events, we are getting information in real time and have the opportunity to meet and strategize with BMC sales and product managers about BSM and how to better sell and implement solutions moving forward.  This is invaluable to us.  Being part of the vision and privy to the training and product updates is exactly what we need to help grow our business with BMC and BSM.”

“The revised sales and partner strategy will improve BMC-Seamless synergy in two ways,” said Kevin Johnson, CEO, Seamless Technologies. “First, accelerated investment to grow Seamless/BMC License sales with less risk.  With our incentives better aligned, I can confidently add headcount to my sales team, and increase training for technical staff, which will add to BMC's top line revenue.  And secondly, confirmed commitment to a common goal, and a reciprocal commitment to a continued Partner relationship.  With the role of the Partner better defined, all involved have more incentive to sell to the BSM solutions, with BMC's use cases spanning multiple solutions, this should result in larger deal sizes, and is actionable immediately as we are already BSM enabled/certified.”

With more than 400 partners worldwide, today’s enhancements to the BMC Partner Network is designed to help BMC’s partner organizations worldwide foster even stronger and more profitable businesses around BMC solutions.  For more information about the BMC Partner Network, please visit www.bmc.com/partners.

About BMC Software

BMC Software [NYSE:BMC] is a leading global provider of enterprise management solutions that empower companies to manage their IT infrastructure from a business perspective.  Delivering Business Service Management, BMC solutions span enterprise systems, applications, databases and service management.  Founded in 1980, BMC posted fiscal 2006 revenues of more than $1.49 billion.  For more information, visit www.bmc.com.