Why do we use the word ‘ecosystem’ to talk about the community around a particular technology? One reason is that the community, like a forest, flourishes and grows organically: over time, it gets stronger as the ideas catch on with more people, and those newcomers invest in becoming part of the community. The other reason we talk about ‘ecosystems’ is that the roots run deep and are heavily intertwined. Each member of the ecosystem depends on those around it for support and the resources it needs to achieve its full potential.
So, why does the idea of the ecosystem matter to the typical software house? Through the business and technology choices you make, you form alliances with other companies. Most of the time, you probably don’t even notice it, but when you invest in using a particular technology, your success becomes connected with the success of that underlying technology. When you choose Intel, your company’s roots become intertwined with ours.
Here at Intel, we have always understood how closely linked our company is with the many companies that develop software for our processors. We depend on those companies for our success, and they depend on us for theirs. Our software partners demand that we continue to deliver the best performance at the best price, and continue to innovate to increase performance and make new kinds of applications possible. And we, in turn, depend on software developers to create highly optimised software for our processors. If developers can write software that exploits the full potential of our processors, then consumers will be more willing to buy that software and the underlying hardware platform. Good hardware and good software need each other: one is useless without the other.
Intel’s Software and Services Group was created in 2001. Measured by the number of developers, it would be among the world’s top ten largest software companies. With 5,000 software engineers on staff, Intel is the ideal partner for software houses of all sizes. To cement closer relationships with other software houses and independent developers, Intel is now introducing a revamped Intel Software Partner Program. The program has been fine-tuned in response to partner feedback to provide new ways for software companies to collaborate with each other, content and technology that enables innovation, and an environment that promotes business growth.
The program’s resources and benefits are divided into three main categories: software development; business strategy; and sales and marketing. Starting out with software development, you can tap into an extensive knowledge base, access technical webinars and code samples, and see the Intel Technology Roadmap. You can also use the free Intel Software Assessment Tools and Intel Software Assessment Report to compare the performance of your application to Intel’s minimum recommendations, and so have more opportunities to improve your end user’s experience on computers built on Intel Architecture. Within an hour, you can gather valuable intelligence on your software’s performance and identify any opportunities to improve it. . Already, 20,500 applications have been optimised to run best on Intel Architecture, and there are resources dedicated to the hot topics of power efficiency, multicore, graphics, media acceleration and manageability.
Business strategy resources include selected reports from leading analysts Forrester and Gartner; the Partner Finder, which can help you to find other companies to work with; and templates for product planning, business cases, customer personas and other aspects of planning a successful software development project.
Your code might be stunning, but you need your sales and marketing to measure up too. Intel offers help here, with benefits including the Software Finder for marketing your applications; a library of marketing tutorials to download, tailored specifically to the needs of software companies; the Product Launch Kit, which helps to organise your communications around a new release; and the Collateral Builder, which enables you to use templates to create professional-looking marketing materials. Intel also recognises participating partners by including their details in the Partner Finder and the Software Finder, special online repositories where you could list your company profile and your software titles that could be visible to either potential business partners or to the potential users and buyers of your products.
You could also extend your go-to-market efforts, build your brand through online advertising. By accessing a self-service portal you access to some of the best known websites offered through CBS Interactive, including CNET, Techrepublic, Gamespot, BNET. As a Intel Software Partner Program member, you also get exclusive pricing which means you get 40% more for you advertising dollar. Use this opportunity to reach your customers worldwide. Videos are also a great way of reaching out to clients and extending your base. Apart from being one of the fastest growing forms of marketing you can get your message across quickly and succinctly. We provide this service via Wooshi, a creative pool of talent. As an Intel Software Partner Program member Wooshi’s 15% listing fee and syndication fee is waived. As a member, you set the parameters of the video, for example, budget, duration and topic, which is then bid out to the creative pool.
Membership of the Intel Software Partner Program is free and open to all, but the benefits are tiered and reflect the level of commitment you make to partnering with Intel. There are three levels of membership, that reflect the different journeys that companies take as they optimise their software for Intel Architecture. The entry level is the Intel Software Registered Partner, which provides access to technical resources, including the website, newsletters and optimisation software.
As your participation increases and you update your profile, list your company or software in the directories, and use the Software Assessment Tools, you can unlock more resources. Most partners qualify as Intel Software Premier Partners, which are companies that have demonstrated their commitment towards enabling their software for Intel Architecture. This level unlocks the Collateral Builder and exclusive technical content.
Those who achieve the level of Intel Software Premier Elite Partner can benefit from online advertising, analyst reports, an interactive software showcase, and an Intel Account Manager (in selected countries). This is the highest premium membership level and it recognises those partners who have already optimised their applications for Intel Architecture.
The new Intel Software Partner Program will also provide a single user ID to access both the Intel Software Partner Program, and the Intel Software Network (ISN), a leading community for software developers with 9 million unique visitors drawn from 237 different countries in 2010. Packed with exclusive technical content, such as code examples and SDKs, ISN also hosts forums and blogs written by Intel and community experts.
Participation in the Intel Software Partner Program is also the best way to keep informed about changes to the Intel technologies you rely upon, and opportunities to make the most of them. Forming a close relationship with the world’s leading processor maker can be a source of competitive advantage, so make sure you don’t get left behind and join the Intel Software Partner Program for free today.
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