Sage says the company has moved beyond a test of the program, which resembles Microsoft’s Master VAR program. Affiliates receive sales, marketing and implementation support, while getting higher margins, according to channel communications. The six advocates are firms that have been buying or partner with other members of the Sage channel for several years—ADSS Gobal, Blytheco, DSD Business Systems, Kerr Consulting, Net at Work and SWK Technologies. It has seemed for some time that much of what the new Sage program seeks to accomplish has already been done. In particular, Net at Work has for several years had a Partner Alliance Program, which has served as a “trial marriage” program that has led to the acquisitions of some participants. DSD apparently took positions in many smaller resellers. Both Net at Work and SWK has have details of the iniatiative under the name, Partner Alliance Program, on their websites. Kerr was acquired in 1977 by private equity firm, Proviso, and intended to expand nationally. The SWK program promises affiliates keep their customer accounts—apparently that isn’t the case in some of the existing programs.