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INTERNATIONAL MASTER VARS IN BIZ

Raber + Märcker  Master VAR LogoThe item in the last newsletter that there are three American Master VARs and that's it drew a comment from Microsoft. There are also Raber + Märcker in Germany and All E Technologies in India. So I requested a copy of the announcement, figuring maybe it was made overseas, but not in the United States. The response from the public relations firm representing the company was "There was no formal announcement of the new Microsoft Master VARs as we typically don’t formally announce every new partner."
But the Master VAR program seemed like something that was supposed to be more than a simple new reseller signing, wasn't it? It is difficult to ascertain how important this program is to Microsoft or what its purpose is, since that seemed to change after the original announcement. The All E Tech webpage has a different story to tell from what I have previously understood, at least for this country. Not only can Dynamics VARs become Sales Affiliates of the Master VARs, but the option is also available to Classic VARs, ISVs and ERP resellers that do not sell Microsoft. I have been informed the Master VAR agreement in the U.S. is the same - it has no restriction on recruiting these other entities. Ultimately, the problem facing Microsoft and Master VARs is how quickly consolidation is moving in Europe, a la Prodware in Western Europe and mHance in the United Kingdom. The question becomes how well can a group of companies who are renting the Master VAR name can respond to the market compared to organizations that own all their operations. I favor the latter as having the competitive edge. The other question revolves around the ability of Master VARs to recruit non-Microsoft resellers, in other words, to expand the channel. If true in this country, that does not seem to be in line with the original plan for cutting numbers from the dealer base.
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