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In a previous article, we looked at a supplier management scenario where partners used application development tools to integrate and extend Â鶹ԭ´´ solutions. And while Â鶹ԭ´´ has a long history of providing partners with the ability to connect and customize their core business processes, we are now also providing a business technology platform for the Intelligent Enterprise.

Â鶹ԭ´´ Business Technology Platform (Â鶹ԭ´´ BTP) represents a more efficient and harmonized way to interface with Â鶹ԭ´´ systems and data domains.

A Unifying Business Technology Platform

Â鶹ԭ´´ Business Technology Platform is a unified platform that offers the flexibility to connect to a broad set of Â鶹ԭ´´ technologies, data, and processes. Business-centric services spanning database and data management, analytics, application development and integration, and intelligent technologies help to quickly turn data into customer business value.

The application development and integration area of Â鶹ԭ´´ BTP plays a pivotal role in enabling customers and partners to build, integrate, and extend business processes efficiently.

It all starts with Â鶹ԭ´´ Integration Suite, which helps bridge disconnected systems and processes for flexible and agile operations. Â鶹ԭ´´ Integration Suite comes with more than 1,800 prebuilt integrations, 2,100 APIs, and 160 third-party connectors.

Â鶹ԭ´´ Integration Suite is complemented by Â鶹ԭ´´ Extension Suite, which enables simplified development application extensions for quick adaptation and innovation across heterogeneous landscapes. Â鶹ԭ´´ Extension Suite supports partners to transition away from classic extensions that involve direct customization of Â鶹ԭ´´ solutions and instead build powerful extensions that decouple their IP using Â鶹ԭ´´ BTP. This helps remove complexity, and, when it is time, they can more easily transition to the cloud and reap the benefits of regular Â鶹ԭ´´ updates.

By using Â鶹ԭ´´ BTP, our customers and partners can access these native capabilities as they build new applications and extensions or integrate them across Â鶹ԭ´´ systems. They can do so with less technical complexity and while offering more consistent user experiences. Â鶹ԭ´´ BTP is the platform that can help connect data in on-premise, cloud, and hybrid environments, including solutions that sit across multi-cloud (multi-hyperscaler) landscapes.

Integrating with Â鶹ԭ´´ Solutions through Application Interface Register for Partners

In the on-premise era, open APIs allowed for flexible customization and integration of Â鶹ԭ´´ solutions, but the customer took on the responsibility of securing access to the integration APIs and any associated risks. In the cloud era, the responsibility of managing API access falls to the cloud service provider, which means, to mitigate those risks and better ensure reliable cloud infrastructure services, service providers need to implement security protocols that support proper and safe access.

For this reason, Â鶹ԭ´´ has introduced Application Interface Register for partners. The register is simple to implement and use, helping ensure that third-party applications properly access Â鶹ԭ´´ cloud properties.

The register not only helps to manage risks, but it also enables us to better understand the demands on Â鶹ԭ´´ cloud infrastructure so we can forecast cloud service resources and bandwidth. Enforcement related to the register will be phased in as new partners come on board and as existing partners renew their contracts for Â鶹ԭ´´ PartnerEdge, Build.

Building on and Integrating with Â鶹ԭ´´ Technologies

Combined with the register, Â鶹ԭ´´ BTP will evolve to be our unifying technology foundation, creating a platform that is reliable, sustainable, and built for interoperability around every key Â鶹ԭ´´ business service. It will act as the development and connection layer across the user experience, business processes, and master data domains.

But that’s just part of the equation. We are also committed to simplifying the partner experience by making it easy for our partners to use our technology, promote their applications, and support our mutual customers, so they can find, connect, and consume the right solutions to run their business. ​

Simplifying the Partner Experience

The promise of the platform cannot be realized without our partners. ​It is essential that we now focus on providing a more holistic program experience, one that reduces complexity, endorses Â鶹ԭ´´ Business Technology Platform, and rewards our value-added reseller, software, and service partners’ commitment.

This is important; we recognize that our increased commitment to partners and their commitment to Â鶹ԭ´´ technology will ultimately improve each customer’s experience.

To effectively chart a new path forward together, we are – and will continue to be – more opinionated about how partners develop on, extend, and integrate around Â鶹ԭ´´ technology. ​

In the past, our approach has been largely hands-off. Â鶹ԭ´´ didn’t manage access to our APIs or have visibility into their use. We also had different fee structures attached to how partners used Â鶹ԭ´´ technology, solution APIs, and Â鶹ԭ´´ data domain access. This led to an imbalance in how partners were supporting the cloud infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) systems. ​

Of course, it also led to a more complicated partner experience, which contributed to more complexity for customers.

Going forward, we plan to get rid of multifaceted revenue share models, contracts, and fee structures. And we want to shift to a unified approach that eliminates one-off partner integrations and uneven contributions to the ecosystem.

We will work to be more opinionated about how technology is used and support apps that support this strategy. And partners will enjoy:

• A single agreement – with one contract instead of three
• A clear revenue sharing model – eliminating complex and fragmented fee structures
• Simpler developer and product licenses – with a smoother transition process from trial to paid license

As discussed previously, partners are facing highly fragmented user experiences, siloed business processes, and redundant applications, with high security and compliance risks.

Our go-forward strategy will work to reduce fragmentation of business processes and promote a consistent cloud user experience by supporting our partners to build their integrated solutions on Â鶹ԭ´´ Business Technology Platform. We’ll continue to focus on curating the applications that enable our customers to have a more integrated set of business processes, and we’ll support our partners to promote these solutions through Â鶹ԭ´´ Store, our digital marketplace.

Exposing Partner Applications to a Global Customer Base

Today, provides partner solutions with exposure to our global customer base in its mission to enable customers to discover, try, and buy trusted Â鶹ԭ´´ partner solutions.

It gives customers access to a fully transactable B2B marketplace designed to bring partner-built solutions​ across all product lines ​and industries into the hands of customers in a simple, digital manner.

Access and Manage Opportunities
The new partner cockpit for Â鶹ԭ´´ Store allows partners to manage all their opportunities and deals from one intuitive interface. From the cockpit, you can access opportunities and manage them throughout the lifecycle – from initial lead to closed deals – and track the performance of their solutions on Â鶹ԭ´´ Store with a detailed analytics dashboard.

Extend the Reach of Your Message
A variety of our marketing support levels are provided along our partner progression. For example, partners with spotlight solutions and partners that offer can access enablement to help amplify their efforts and extend the reach of their message. In addition to providing a platform for partners to sell, we provide deal support to engage with our joint customers.

Connect with Â鶹ԭ´´ Sales
Â鶹ԭ´´ Store is the gateway for connecting with the Â鶹ԭ´´ sales team, a group committed to promoting partner apps and assisting in Â鶹ԭ´´ Store deals. Â鶹ԭ´´ Store is the only place where partners can directly connect with more than 440,000 Â鶹ԭ´´ customers to deliver applications and integrations – enabling the ability to reach out into new market segments and geographies.

Reassure Customers
Partners benefit from readiness checks, certifications, and premium certifications that reassure customers that the technology integrates smoothly with Â鶹ԭ´´ solutions and is reliable, giving customers greater confidence in their investment decision. And partners also get a stamp of approval from a globally recognized brand, as well as the awareness that comes along with it.

Together, We Can Create Great Opportunities

By embracing a unified technology foundation, our goal is to make it easier to extend, integrate with, and connect to Â鶹ԭ´´ solutions and data – so that partners can tap into the systems that touch . And through a simplified experience, partners will be able to accelerate their go-to-market strategy. This means benefiting from exposure to .

And so, together, we can turn the challenges our customers are facing – as well as the challenges we all face in these uncertain times – into advantages, creating a profitable path to growth for both of our businesses.

Interested in learning more? To get started with a Â鶹ԭ´´ software partnership, visit us online: .

If you’re already a partner, you can register your applications with the Application Interface Register for partners and explore the potential of with your Â鶹ԭ´´ partner team.

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Jagdish Sahasrabudhe is CTO of the Global Partner Organization at Â鶹ԭ´´.