Lotus Foundations provides an excellent opportunity for Arrow business partners selling into the small business space, especially for those looking to drive managed services. Take advantage of the recent announcements, offerings, and "Lotus Yellow" journalism around Lotus Foundations to sell this increasingly popular solution, and put some green in your pocket.
News Highlights
200+ Microsoft Partners Per Month Flocking to Sell IBM Lotus Foundations
In a new press release, small businesses say Lotus Foundations is better, cheaper, smarter than SBS. Facing decreasing demand for Microsoft products, more than 1,000 Microsoft Business Partners have offered to sell IBM's Lotus Foundations "office-in-a-box" appliance for small businesses (SMB) in the five months of 2009.
IBM Lotus Foundations Start V1.1 Now Available
Lotus Foundations Start is a small business appliance that provides the essential software businesses need to focus on running the business, not managing computer systems - email, calendars, office productivity, file management, backup and recovery, network security, remote access, applications, and more.
IBM Lotus Foundations Branch Office V1.1 Now Available
IBM Lotus Foundations Branch Office is an on-premise software appliance and a complete solution for remote offices of up to 500 employees in enterprises that are already running a Lotus Domino infrastructure.
Optional Business Applications for Lotus Foundations Start
Add capabilities to your deployment of Lotus Foundations Start with these optional business applications:
• ExtraFax applications
• GroupForce applications
• Baehrware productivity suite applications!
Enablement Highlights
Lotus Foundations Learning Opportunities
The Learning Roadmap on the Lotus Foundations Wiki is regularly updated. New one-day face-to-face Lotus Foundations training sessions are available worldwide. Virtual classes are also available, and there is no cost to attend! You will find both Sales Enablement training and technical training courses available.
Jump-start your marketing campaigns with Campaign Designer -- *NEW / EXPANDED* Campaign-in-a-Box available now
The Lotus Foundations Campaign-in-a-Box is a customizable set of marketing materials that make it easy for you to create campaigns to market and sell Lotus Foundations. This campaign makes it easier than ever to generate leads for IBM Lotus Foundations. It provides many tactics and marketing offers with simple, straight-forward guidance for structuring a multi-touch campaign beginning to end.
This campaign includes:
• Two alternatives (visually depicted) for structuring a multi-touch campaign.
• Tactics (i.e. emails, invitations, etc.) to fulfill either campaign structure.
• Marketing offers (demos, white papers, articles, etc.) to interest prospects.
• Additional assets to round out your campaign (Web graphics, flyer, etc.)
Access Campaign Designer
North American Campaign ID: 100584
EMEA Campaign ID: 100598
Key Resources
Lotus Foundations Start Sales & Marketing Kit on Partner World
Lotus Foundations Branch Office Sales & Marketing Kit on Partner World
Lotus Foundations Wiki
Lotus Foundations Web Site
Additional Information
Lotus Foundations Start – The Single Source All-in-One solution from IBM
Lotus Foundations Start 1.1 is an on-premise small business appliance and a complete solution for businesses with 5-500 employees that have limited or no in-house technical resources. It can be launched within 30 minutes and leverages self-managing and self-healing capabilities that minimize the need for human intervention. It enables customers to do email, create and share documents, use business applications, centrally manage files, store and secure business data, control access to information, connect offices and employees and protects their network and systems from unwanted disruptions and intrusions. Additionally, Lotus Foundations serves as a platform for customers to run native Linux and Lotus Domino applications and Microsoft Windows applications within a VMware container.
Lotus Foundations Start gives IBM business partners access to a large market which currently has limited IT alternatives. Partners can increase their customer base by selling Lotus Foundations into this rapidly growing SMB market and by providing value-add services including network consulting, design, installation, and administration services. Partners can also develop and integrate their business applications onto the Lotus Foundations platform to address the market need for business-centric solutions.
IBM Lotus Foundations Appliance Hardware Highlights
The Lotus Foundations Appliance hardware is available worldwide. The hardware has several unique features - an integrated LCD display panel (no monitor and keyboard required!), hot-swap disk drive for the Lotus Foundations Integrated Disk Backup (idb) technology, and Disk-On-Module (DOM) based flash memory that contains the Lotus Foundations Operating System.
Selling Lotus Foundations to General Business, Mid-Market
Lotus Foundations Start is ideal for:
Small businesses with 5 to 500 users with little/no in-house IT skill.
Primary: Businesses that manage sensitive data.
Business areas: Professional services firms, small medical offices.
Key concerns: security, reliability, IT costs.
Secondary: Businesses focused on minimizing/controlling IT costs.
Business area: Auto dealerships, education, non-profits (schools, religious organizations, health facilities) small industrial outfits.
Key concerns: Keep pace with IT advancements, remote communications/connectivity
Target Small Business Owner/Office Manager - needs a simple, affordable, low-touch IT solution without the luxury of dedicated IT staff. Concerned with controlling expenses to better operate in the struggling economy.
IT Decision-Maker - Target the individual filling the role of IT Decision Maker (will not likely be the person’s formal role).
Selling Lotus Foundations to General Business, Large Enterprise
Lotus Foundations Branch Office is ideal for:
Businesses of any size that have already made an investment in IBM Lotus Notes and Domino and that wish to extend that investment when setting up the IT environment in new branch offices.
Target Industries: All Industries
Primary Business Areas: retail, banking, insurance, healthcare, automotive, real estate, government)
Additional targeting profile information: dormant or competitive threat accounts, customers with internet bandwidth challenges
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