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Conference 7.286::digital

Title:The Digital way of working
Moderator:QUARK::LIONELON
Created:Fri Feb 14 1986
Last Modified:Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:5321
Total number of notes:139771

3152.0. "Need some history" by MONTOR::GLASER () Wed Jun 08 1994 11:02

    Hi Folks,
    
    Once upon a time I was part owner of a software house/system
    integration (make diffferent kinds of hardware work with PKP 11/03s
    ...) that was a digital technical OEM.  this was during
    the middle to late 1970's.
    
    Back at that time, there we only a handful of salesman to cover Austin,
    San Antonio, Houston,  and all points south of that area.
    
    Thus, digital depended on the technical OEMs and later commercial OEMs
    to move the stuff.  We did not do so well, but some other digital oems
    in Texas made out like gangbusters and moved lots of hardware while
    providing their own software.
    
    I got out of the business in 1980 to persue other interests and since
    then I have not kept up with was digital is doing in this space.
    
    I hears terms such as ISVs and CSOs but I really dont know what they
    mean and how they compare to the technical/commercial OEM structures of
    the late 70s.  (It would be nice if someone could provide a comparison)
    
    Now comes some wonderings.
    
        1.  Do we still have the equivalent of OEMs
    
        2.  If not, would it make sense to revive that kind of structure.
    
    
    It seems to me that the low end system is that kind of market
    in that it costs peanuts ($2500) for a powerful desktop system 
    but you still have to write a lot of ACCESS/DBASE/... code to
    make it fit the custtomers business.
    
    Just wondering
    
    -David Glaser
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name		DateLines
3152.1That's a _definite_ maybeWELSWS::HILLNIt's OK, it'll be dark by nightfallWed Jun 08 1994 11:229
    The question you're asking is similar to "do we have a channels
    strategy?  And is it implemented yet?"
    
    I suspect the answers are "management like to think so" and "not
    completely"
    
    Like so many good Digital ideas the TOEM and COEM selling avenues have
    mushroomed in names so we have things like CSOs, VARs, OEMs, CSPs,
    retail outlets etc.
3152.2I know we quit dealing in small potatoes onceTOOK::DELBALSOI (spade) my (dog face)Wed Jun 08 1994 11:3612
re: .0

Sounds like I was doing about the same thing you were at about the same
time, but in a different place (Upstate New York for me). I was a
"Business Products OEM", selling 8's and 11's with my apps and packages.
I signed my first OEM licensing agreement with DEC in 1975 and was allowed
a 10% discount for selling 1 machine a year, and I forget how the discount
structure changed after that. By the time I got out of the business and
joined DEC in 77, you couldn't get that sort of agreement directly with
DEC anymore - they'd send you to a distributor like Hamilton-Avnet.

-Jack
3152.3VAR or OEM?STOWOA::ODIAZOctavio, Dev. Suppt. Svcs - MCS/SPSWed Jun 08 1994 12:5528
    Re:                      <<< Note 3152.0 by MONTOR::GLASER >>>

    David,
    
    It all depends  what  you're  looking  for.  There is a technical OEM
    group.  According to VTZ ATOZ, Dan Riordan is contact for recrutiment
    in US.  This is for "real"  OEMs  as  the industry defines them ,i.e.
    embedded applications, single board computers, etc.
    
    But your starting sentence:
    
>    Once upon a time I was part owner of a software house/system
>    integration (make diffferent kinds of hardware work with PKP 11/03s

    leads me to believe that you are looking at putting together any kind
    of  system  with off-the shelf  components  and  adding  some  tailor
    application(s),  so  you're talking about at  what  Digital  and  the
    market  calls a Value added reseller (VAR).    Digital  handles  that
    through its channels organization and the best thing  is  to find out
    who in the region is doing the recruiting.   If you look in VTX ATOZ,
    under US channels  you'll find a contact.  Now the rules are (or used
    to be) that you need to sell over X $ of Digital products per year to
    deal directly with Digital, otherwise  you  would have to deal with a
    Master reseller/distributor like Avnet, Pioneer or Merisel.
    
    Hope this helps
    
    /OLD
3152.4Talk to the professionalPOBOX::CORSONYOU CALL THAT A SLAPSHOT....?Wed Jun 08 1994 16:539
    
    David -
    
    	I recruit resellers for Digital. DTN: 474-5180. We can talk about
    the six relationships, discounts, quanitity breaks, value-add, etc.
    off-line. Please feel free to call me. I don't work weekends.
    
    	Best.
    		the Greyhawk
3152.5MROA::SRINIVASANWed Jun 08 1994 20:3912
    David,                         
    
    There are several OEM groups within Digital ( which I am aware of )..
    Actually each business unit ( PBU etc ) have their own OEM groups, ( in
    some cases their own OEM logo ). If you are looking for OEM at System
    or board level, these are handled by TOEM ( Technical OEM ) and CpOEM (
    Component OEM). I work in the CpOEM group. If you have any specific
    questions, please send me mail or give me a call.
    
    Regards
    
    Jay