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Oracle Expands Tools, Initiatives for Partners

Oracle on Wednesday added new training tools and vertical industry resources for the 19,500 members of its Oracle PartnerNetwork.

The Redwood Shores, Calif.-based database and business applications giant made immediately available an Oracle PartnerNetwork Competency Center tool that helps partners get tailored training on Oracle products. The Competency Center puts partners through a pre-assessment and then the tool generates a custom-designed curriculum based on the assessment and other partner attributes. The Competency Center tool is part of the PartnerNetwork Portal and is free to existing Oracle PartnerNetwork members.

According to Oracle, the custom learning path created by the tool will help partners who would otherwise have to sort through hundreds of online courses to create an appropriate curriculum.

The change "ensures that partners are maximizing the time spent in training versus spending that time searching for the right modules and courses to take," said Doug Kennedy, senior vice president, worldwide alliances and channels, in a statement.

At the same time, Oracle rolled out eight new Oracle PartnerNetwork Industry Initiatives, which are "dashboards" within the Oracle PartnerNetwork Portal that aggregate information and resources for each of Oracle's most strategic vertical industries.

The eight new dashboards bring Oracle's total to 20. They are Aerospace and Defense, Automotive, Chemicals, Communications, Consumer Products, Education and Research, Engineering and Construction, Financial Services, Healthcare, High Technology, Industrial Manufacturing, Life Sciences, Media and Entertainment, Natural Resources, Oil and Gas, Professional Services, Public Sector, Retail, Travel and Transportation, and Utilities.

Also Wednesday, Oracle announced some special partner-focused content at Oracle OpenWorld in San Francisco in November. An all-day forum will be held for partners on Sunday, Nov. 11 at the San Francisco Marriott with six hours of presentations and networking opportunities. During the OpenWorld event that week, Oracle will set up a partner lounge, introduce new partner pavilions, hold about a dozen partner-specific conference sessions and bestow the North America Oracle Titan Awards for Oracle partners.

About the Author

Scott Bekker is editor in chief of Redmond Channel Partner magazine.

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