Specialization
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Become Specialized and Advanced Specialized. Be Recognized by Oracle and Preferred by Customers.
Oracle’s Specialization Program is a trusted status and brand, which allows our most experienced and committed partners to differentiate themselves in the marketplace and gain a competitive edge by spotlighting their strengths and special skills.
Partners can choose where they want to specialize from a wide range of Specializations from Oracle’s growing product portfolio.Four Key Reasons to Become Specialized
1. Be Preferred by Customers
Specialized status provides customers with proof that they will be engaging with an insightful, knowledgeable partner who is expert in the defined product or industry area, and able to work with them to develop and implement specific solutions.2. Differentiate your business in the marketplace
Each Specialized status provides a powerful Oracle branding that can help you to- Differentiate from the competition through your proven in-depth expertise in Oracle solutions
- Find new opportunities through the power of your proven capability
- Extend your market reach and expand your revenue opportunities with audiences of hundreds of thousands of Oracle customers
3. Get Recognized by Oracle
Oracle sales teams recognize who have invested time and resources to develop significant expertise in Oracle’s products and solutions and have proven their capabilities by gaining the Specialized status in specific products or industry areas.4. Access to additional benefits
Oracle partners who achieve qualifying Specialization also gain access to the specialization benefits pack, which includes tools and resources to help them build more business and capability in their chosen Specialization area.Advanced Specialization
Advanced Specialization is a program element where specialized partners at the Gold, Platinum, and Diamond levels can showcase the depth and breadth of their global implementation resources. To qualify for an advanced specialization, eligible partners must meet standard OPN Specialized business and competency criteria for specialization plus have 50 or more Oracle certified implementation specialists on staff.
OPN Specialization Thresholds by Membership Level
Gold level partners offer a depth of focused expertise to end customers and therefore must not exceed four (4) current qualifying specializations. Platinum level partners are required to demonstrate a depth and breadth of expertise across the Oracle portfolio and must achieve a minimum of five (5) qualifying specializations.OPN Specialized Gold level partners achieving five (5) qualifying specializations or more will be expected to upgrade their membership to the Platinum level at their Oracle PartnerNetwork Membership renewal.
To be a "qualifying" version of a Specialization, a Specialization must be either in the most recent product version or, during the one-year period during which you must meet the criteria for the newest version of a Specialization, the version being "phased out" will continue to qualify you to receive Benefits for Specialization and meet the criteria for Platinum or Diamond status. If you have two versions of the same Specialization, only the most recently available Specialization will count as the qualifying Specialization.
Requirements SilverGoldPlatinumDiamondQualifying Specializations No Requirements Maximum of 4 Minimum of 5 Minimum of 20 Qualifying Advanced Specializations No Requirements No Requirements No Requirements Minimum of 5 -
Which Specialization is Right for Your Business?
Oracle’s extensive product portfolio is categorized into five main pillars:
Each pillar is further sub-divided into “Knowledge Zones,” which provide information about the product or solution you are interested in, including the business and competency criteria required for Partners to achieve Specialization.
To select which Specializations are right for your business:
- Click on a pillar above and find out more about the Knowledge Zones where you can Specialize.
- Click on a Knowledge Zone and look for a ‘Specialize’ tab, this indicates that a Specialization option is available.
- Click on “Business and Competency Criteria” for details of what you need to meet to achieve Specialization.
If the Specialization is right for your business, then it’s time to get started on your path to Specialization.
- To see a listing of all launched and planned Specializations, view the Specialization Guide (PDF)
- View the OPN Specialized and Specialization FAQ
- View Detailed Information on Criteria Validation to understand how to meet business and competency criteria, as well as on how your Worldwide and Associate entities can pool resources to meet the criteria.
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Key Steps to Gaining a "Specialized" Status
Once you have selected the Specializations that are right for your business, you need to follow the first 3 key steps described below. The fourth step outlines the additional process to follow if you meet the criteria to be Advanced Specialized. Note that Step 4 may not be done without first following Steps 1-3.
1. Join the Knowledge Zone(s) where you want to achieve Specialized status
- Go to the Knowledge Zone
- Click on the "Why Partner" tab
- Click on the "Join Knowledge Zone" link
2. Meet the Specialization criteria - Define and implement plans in your organization to achieve the competency and business criteria targets of the Specialization. (Note: Worldwide OPN members at the Gold, Platinum, or Diamond level and their Associates at the Gold, Platinum, or Diamond level may count their collective resources to meet the business and competency criteria required for specialization in this area.)
3. Apply for Specialization - when you have met the business and competency criteria required, inform Oracle by completing the following steps:
- Click on the "Specialize" tab in the Knowledge Zone
- Click on the "Apply Now" button
- Complete the online application form
Oracle will validate the information provided, and once approved, you will receive notification from Oracle of your awarded Specialized status.
Only qualifying specializations will apply towards specialization benefits. If you have existing specializations on previous product versions, these will remain valid specializations until the product version reaches its end of service live (EOSL); however, if there is a more recent version available, and therefore a new qualifying specialization, only the current qualifying specialization will qualify for specialization benefits.
Need more information? Access our Step by Step Guide (PDF)
4. Apply for Advanced Specialization – If your company has on staff 50 unique Certified Implementation Specialists in your company's approved Specialization's product set, let Oracle know by following these steps:
- Ensure that you have 50 or more unique individuals that are Certified Implementation Specialists in the specific Specialization awarded to your company
- If you are pooling resources from another Associate or Worldwide entity, ensure you know that company’s name and country
- Have your Oracle PRM Administrator complete the online Advanced Specialization Application
Oracle will validate the information provided, and once approved, you will receive notification from Oracle of your awarded Advanced Specialized status.
Oracle’s Specialization Program is a trusted status and brand, which allows our most experienced and committed partners to differentiate themselves in the marketplace and gain a competitive edge by spotlighting their strengths and special skills.
And now, with the new Advanced Specialization program element, specialized partners can further extend their capacity of skilled implementation resources on Oracle’s products and technology.
