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If you're new to the IBM System p platform, this section provides a good place to learn how you can quickly develop your IBM System p skills and become familiar with the resources that IBM makes available to our valued Business Partners (BPs).
1. Take a step back!
First of all, take a step back and congratulate yourself - you've just joined a winning team! According to IDC, IBM is in the number one position in global UNIX-based server revenue share and continues to grow faster than the industry average.
2. Register for an IBM ID
An IBM ID is a userid / password that is used to access a range of online resources that are only available to IBM BP. IBM strongly encourages all of our BPs to have their own IBM ID.
Registration for an IBM ID only takes 5 or 10 minutes - simply complete the IBM Registration form  . It is suggested that you use your email address as your IBM ID - this makes it simple to remember.
3. Create a profile in PartnerWorld Profiling System
This step might take 20 minutes or so, but it is well worth doing. The PartnerWorld Profiling System (PPS) is used as a central DB to hold profile information on BP companies and the individuals that work in them. The information within your profile is used in a multitude of ways, e.g.
- to target our email communications to you
- to provide information on specific benefits to which you are entitled
- to understand your skills
More details on how to update your profile is on the PartnerWorld web site - in particular it is important to make sure that your profile:
- includes your IBM ID - this is how IBM links your IBM ID to your entitlements as a BP
- includes your email address
- includes any candidate IDs for IBM certifications that you've taken (this is how IBM links your individual certifications to your company)
- includes a subscription to the monthly newsletter
- has defined your 'Job function for communications purposes' - this is used in the weekly communication of high priority information
4. Start building your skills
IBM makes a huge amount of education available to BPs - from online weblectures, to formal classroom education, to workshops and conferences specifically targeted at our BP community.
Much of the online education is available within the System p College , which is part of the PartnerWorld University. Additional registration for PartnerWorld University is currently required the first time you access it.
Once you've completed the education and gained the required level of experience, you can verify your new skills by taking either sales or technical certifications - these are available for a fee through our certification testing centers (run by Prometric .
When you take a certification test you are given a candidate ID. This is a unique ID that links you to the certification being taken. If you take subsequent certification tests you can keep the same ID. It is important to make sure that you add your candidate ID(s) to your PPS profile (see previous step) - IBM can then link your individual certified skills to your company profile.
IBM makes a range of additional certifications and education available to help you to continue building your skills - more information on this is available on the Training and events page.
5. Familiarise yourself with the IBM PartnerWorld web site
The PartnerWorld web site is a portal to the information and resources that IBM makes available to its BPs. It is worth spending at least 20-30 minutes to familiarise yourself with the information available on this site - particularly in the System p section .
You will need your IBM ID to login to the PartnerWorld web site - based on the BP profile in PPS this is then used to display information relevant to you. In addition, you can select your Country from the listbox on the right hand side of many pages - this increases the customisation of the information that is presented to you.
6. Review the most important Power Systems / System p collateral
IBM makes a huge range of collateral - both sales and technical - available to our BPs. Much of it is available on the Systems Sales DB (yes, you'll need your IBM ID  ).
To get you started, we've identified the collateral that you'll find most useful as an IBM System p BP in the Docs and pubs section of this site - it would be worth reviewing this page and the collateral that it lists.
7. Learn about Solution Assurance
It is very important to IBM that clients are consistently delighted with IBM solutions, whether sold by IBM or by our Business Partners. Delighting customers is simply good business - they are much more likely to then buy from you again or recommend you to others.
Solution assurance is a proven methodology for increasing customer satisfaction (and also avoiding costly mistakes). To find out more about solution assurance, spend 20 minutes reviewing this this weblecture and then take some time to review the solution assurance collateral that IBM makes available - in particular it would be worth taking a look at one of the System p5 discussion guides .
8. Install and become familiar with the IBM Configurator
The IBM Configurator for e-business is used to configure and price System p hardware and software. It should always be used to create valid customer configurations. You can install the IBM Configurator (often known as e-config for short) from the PartnerWorld website. . If needed, there are detailed instructions on how to install the configurator within the training section of this site.
Help in using the IBM Configurator is available from your IBM Distributor or IBM Techline (if entitled to Techline support).
9. Make a note of the PartnerWorld Contact Services phone number
PartnerWorld Contact Services (PWCS) provides a single point of contact between you the Business Partner and IBM. If you don't know who to speak to within IBM about a particular question, PWCS should be able to either provide the answer or point you in the right direction.
There are local phone numbers for PWCS in most countries and support is available in a number of languages. PWCS numbers are listed in the Contact PartnerWorld section of the PartnerWorld website.
10. Talk to your IBM Distributor
Most System p Business Partners buy System p hardware from an IBM approved Distributor. The extent of the support available from Distributors does vary, but it would be worth spending some time to understand how the Distributor you purchase System p hardware from can help you. Here are some examples of the sort of support that might be available:
- Introductory product education
- email newsletters
- Configuration / ordering / installation support
- Q&A support
- Special events
- Offers / promotions
11. Consider purchasing a PartnerWorld Value Package
PartnerWorld Value Packages bundle a variety of high value benefits at an annual fee of $2,000 USD. Considering the potential value of the benefits, this is an extremely cost effective way for Business Partners to obtain this additional support. The benefits include access to a selection of IBM software (although not System p middleware  ) and access to IBM's pre-sales support service - Techline (available to PartnerWorld Member level BPs who have purchased a Value Package, as well as Advanced / Premier level BPs).
12. Make sure you understand the minimum requirements to resell IBM System p solutions
As mentioned above, IBM wants all clients to be delighted with IBM System p solutions, whether purchased from IBM or from an IBM approved Business Partner. IBM therefore sets a minimum level of skill / support requirements for all BPs:
- Minimum certification requirements (select your country from the right hand navigation). These pages also provide a useful description of how to prepare for, take and then record IBM certifications.
These requirements are documented in your contract, and are also generally available via the links shown above.
Good luck with a successful career selling and supporting IBM System p based solutions ! | 
