OpenLogic pushes partnerships on open source support

Openlogic推动开放源代码支持的合作伙伴关系的发展

By: Jack M. Germain

德国Jack M.

编译：晨星

OpenLogic Inc., a provider of enterprise open source software, wants other open source software developers to shake hands over a partnership program that will give it control over an alliance of support services for other vendors' products.

OpenLogic公司，企业开放源代码软件的一个提供者，希望其他开放源代码软件开发商在合作伙伴关系计划中携手，该计划将在支援服务联盟上给与其他厂商的产品以控制权。

OpenLogic, which already supports 400 open source packages in its certified library, announced its new vendor partnership program on July 8.

OpenLogic，在其认证的图书馆内已经支持了400个开放源代码软件包，在七月八日宣布它的新的伙伴关系计划。

The partnership program is designed to let commercial open source software vendors share in the revenue OpenLogic receives from its customers for providing support for the commercial software.

这个伙伴计划的目的在于让商业开放源代码软件供应商共享OpenLogic为商业软件提供支持而从顾客那得来的收入。

 EnterpriseDB, which sells a relational database based on PostgreSQL, and JasperSoft, which develops an open source business intelligence platform, are among the first to share in the revenue-sharing venture.

EnterpriseDB,在OostgreSQL的基础上出售关联式资料库，而JasperSoft在于开发开放源代码的商业智能平台，他们都是收入-分享风险活动的首批参与者。

"This is targeting commercial open source products. It expands our existing ad hoc support," says Kim Weins, senior vice president of marketing for OpenLogic.

OpenLogic has always provided support but wants to expand its pool of resources to help resolve more software problems, she says. "Only about 20 of the 400 packages [in our library] have commercial backings. We want to work with open source vendors when there is commercial activity."

“这是针对商业开放源代码产品的。它扩大了我们现有的特设的支持”，OpenLogic的高级营销副总裁 Kim Weins说。她说，OpenLogic一直提供支持但仍想扩展其资源度以协助解决更多的软件问题。“仅有5%的软件包（在我们的图书馆）有商业后盾。当有商业活动时，我们愿意和开放源代码供应商合作”。

This program enables OpenLogic to make support available for all packages in its library under one roof.

这个计划使得OpenLogic为同一层次下其图书馆内所有的软件包提供了有效的支持。

 Eventually, as partnerships grow, any package in the library will have support from OpenLogic.

最终，随着伙伴关系的发展，图书馆内的任何一个软件包都将从OpenLogic获得支持。 

Right now, many of those packages are supported only by the project's community forums.

现在，许多这样的软件包都只支持该项目的社区论坛。

Under the terms of this new partnership program, commercial partners will provide backstop support for their projects, and OpenLogic will resell its partners' enterprise support offerings.

根据这项新的伙伴计划，商业合作伙伴关系将为他们的项目提供备用支持，而且OpenLogic将转售其合作伙伴的企业服务支持。

The vendor shares the subscription fees that OpenLogic collects through its enrolled customers.

供应商享用OpenLogic收集其登记顾客的认购费用。

OpenLogic hopes the revenue issue will balance out with the potential of additional commercial customers attracted from library downloaders.

OpenLogic希望收入问题能够平衡从图书馆下载者中吸引来的潜在的额外的商业客户。

How it works

如何工作

Under the program, OpenLogic customers do not pay a per-instance support charge.Nor do vendors pay for this support.

根据该计划，OpenLogic顾客不必为个例支持支付费用。供应商也不必为这种支持支付费用。

  Instead, customers of vendor partners get one phone number to call for any support needed.

 反之，供应商合作伙伴的顾客会获得一个电话号码以供呼吁所需的服务支持。

Customers of participating vendors pay OpenLogic a subscription fee for access to the open source software library and choose what packages they want included in the support agreement.

参与供应商的顾客要为接触开放源代码软件图书馆和选择在协议支持中他们想要的软件包支付订阅费用给 OpenLogic 。

Customers also select the time interval of the support for which they subscribe.

顾客也可为他们所认定的支持选择时间间隔。

 For instance, customers may choose to have support available during business hours as opposed to around the clock for a set number of days per week.

举例来说，顾客可以在营业期间选择有效的支持作为反对周围那些为每周一套的天数而设的时钟。

"Ultimately, the customers pay based on an a la carte Chinese menu approach," says Weins.

“最终，顾客基于中国菜单的点菜方法来支付费用”，Weins说。

Smoothing ruffled edges

平滑波折的边缘

 Some in the open source community have been skeptical of the alternative support that OpenLogic provides for major open source projects, according to Weins. The company hopes the partner program will quell the negativity.

据Weins说，开放源代码社区中的一些人已经对这种替代支持抱着怀疑态度即OpenLogic为大多数的开放源代码项目提供支持。该公司希望这个合作伙伴计划将平息这些消极性。

Partners will be able to provide supplemental support for their projects to OpenLogic customers.In addition, OpenLogic will resell its partners' enterprise support offerings, helping to expand partner channels.

合作伙伴将为OpenLogic客户的项目提供充足的支持。此外，OpenLogic将转售其合作伙伴的企业支持服务，帮助扩大合作伙伴的渠道。

OpenLogic officials concede that the support partnership they created could be viewed as toe-stepping by some open source communities and commercial vendors.

OpenLogic 的工作人员承认他们所创造的合作伙伴关系可能被一些开放源代码社区和商业供应商视为是加强自身的行为。

But efforts are ongoing to extend partnerships to minimize these potential slights.

"Our desire is to partner. This could be viewed as competitive so we are talking to vendors to formulate agreements," says .

但是我们正在努力扩大合作伙伴关系以尽量减少这些潜在的细微的东西。Weins说“我们的愿望是成为合作伙伴。这可能被看成是竞争所以我们和供应商谈论以制定协议。

Users gain

用户增益

Ultimately, the users of the expanded support services will benefit the most, she says.They may be using from dozens to hundreds of open source products from separate sources. "Most of [the products] have no commercial support available. This new support option lets users aggregate support, and we can bring new revenue to vendors."

她说，最终，扩大支援服务的用户将会受益最多。他们可能使用着有不同来源的从数十到数以百计的开放源代码产品。“大多数的产品都没有商业支持。这种新的支持选项让顾客聚合支持，而且我们能为供应商带来新的收入来源”。

Support for open source software falls into a wide array of needs, according to Weins.

据Weins说，开放源代码软件陷入了各种各样的需求。

 Many open source users have multiple packages installed. Some of them are commercial.Others are community supported only.

许多开放源代码用户都安装了多重的套件。他们中的一些是商业化的，其他的只是由社区支持的。

 The level of community-based support varies with the package as well. Sometimes support issues are complicated with a mix of home-brewed applications.

以社区为基础的支持水平随着软件包而变化。有时，支持项目是与组合家庭的自动申请相适应的。

"So customers may have a sense of the problems they are experiencing, but they don't know how to fix them. We give them one vendor who can touch all aspects of all the applications being used," Weins says.

“因此顾客可能有他们正在经历的问题的意识，但是他们不知道如何解决这些问题。我们给他们一个能接触所有被应用的申请的各个方面的供应商”，Weins 说道。