Dear BAAN community members,

The BaanBoard team (http://www.baanboard.com) is announcing a new initiative for both BAAN users and BAAN solution partners: http://www.baanportal.com.

Our new site will be launched on January 1st 2005 and will work as a virtual marketplace to bring BAAN users and BAAN solution partners closer together.

As BAAN users will be able to register for free as soon as our portal is available on the internet we are now looking for BAAN solution partners all over the world who are interested in a new distribution channel for their products and services.
With direct access to our marketing database of more than 28,000 BAAN users across the globe BaanPortal will allow solution partners to market their products and services to BAAN users anywhere in the world.
BaanPortal is not associated with SSA Global BAAN or any of the BWU organizations and we understand how difficult it is has been for you as certified and non-certified BAAN solution partners to connect to the BAAN community.
These days are over!.... Our virtual market place will be the ideal way to go where no BAAN solution partner has gone before and you can reach more than 6,000 companies in the world using the various BAAN applications.

BaanPortal will give every participating BAAN solution partner their own market space where they can inform BAAN users about their company and can upload content and information about all the offerings they provide to customers.
BAAN users can access, read and download the white papers and marketing collateral 24 hours a day and contact solution partners when they are interested in the offerings on Baanportal.com.
Solution partners can even put software (trial versions and other samples) in their own market space. BaanPortal will also streamline the support process by connecting BAAN users to solution partners in case they need assistance with the products and services they acquired via BaanPortal.
Our site will be constantly improved and new features will be added so that BAAN users can enjoy more convenient ways to shop for BAAN related solutions.

BAAN solution partners do not register for free with BaanPortal. We will accommodate them with a subscription fee (annually or quarterly) and a one-time set up fee. Our proposition will give BAAN solution partners maximum flexibility because every three months they have a new opportunity to stay with us. Our fees are inexpensive and we will give additional discounts to the first ten BAAN solution partners who decide to join us before January 1st 2005.

In case you are interested in extending your Baan business today we invite you to visit our registration website at:

http://www.baanportal.com/partner_offering/index.html

For additional information contact us at info@baanportal.com.

With kind regards,

The BaanPortal Team (www.baanportal.com)
Edwin van der Borg & Patrick Van der Veken

Awesome website.

This would be a great offering in the Baan space. It is cheering to see developments take place in the third party market space even when Baan is floundering.

Edwin and Patrick

Fantastic idea and service for us all, including, whether they like it or not, SSA-Global. This will assist in breathing life into the by now almost legacy-status product.

The point you made about the BAAN Company protecting its customer base, I think is just as valid if not more so with SSA-Global. I think there is every indication that SSA is being very protective of its market and its software. I think they are gaurding their new LN software very closely and not letting it fall into the hands customers or others without a lucrative upgrade project/contract being entered into beforehand.

I think they make its availability dependant on engaging their own highly-priced services, while purpurting to provide the software free-of-charge. As time goes on I think we may see customers challenge this stance. The right to upgrade is set down in the agreement that customers entered into when they purchaced the licences and subsequently as they pay the ongoing annual support fees. There are plenty of other aspects of dealings where SSA can demonstrate their graciousness in providing items free-of-charge.

Well done

Terry

Hi Vamsi, Terry,

Thanks for the encouraging words :) There is still plenty of work to be done before we go live but response so far has been very, very good indeed. I think it shows that there is indeed a valid need for what we are trying to do. Stay tuned!