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Red Hat Subscription Center Monthly Communications

June 2006 - North America

 

Welcome to the Red Hat Subscription Center monthly channel partner communication. Each month, we will send you important information regarding Red Hat's ordering and fulfillment processes. Use these communications as a resource to learn about how Red Hat is changing its ordering process to benefit our channel partners and end-customers. Please share this message with those in your organization involved in ordering Red Hat subscriptions.

We would also like to invite you to take full advantage of Red Hat's new marketing and renewals programs, and sales enablement and more as developed exclusively for our channel partners, we invite you to enroll in the Red Hat Ready Business Partner program. Membership is free, and you will gain valuable benefits to help you become a more effective, more profitable Linux solution provider in your market.

Important Changes to Red Hat ordering process

 

Red Hat has recently refined our ordering guidelines to require all Red Hat distribution partners to include critical information for all orders. These changes are an important step toward improving our subscription fulfillment processes and providing an easier renewals process for you and the end-customer.

To ensure timely and accurate fulfillment, please note the following requirements as you place your orders with your preferred Red Hat distributor.

Subscription Start Dates

Subscriptions start from the day Red Hat completes order processing. Once an order is processed, Red Hat automatically entitles your end-customer, giving them immediate electronic access to the subscriptions purchased. Subscriptions are sold in 1 or 3 year increments. Be sure that when placing orders for Red Hat subscriptions, the subscription start and end dates align with what your end-customer desires.

Placing Orders - New Requirements for Collecting End-customer Information

By automatically entitling an end-customer, Red Hat streamlines fulfillment and provides immediate access to the software and services included in the subscription. To ensure that the subscriptions are placed on the correct account and are available to the correct user, please provide the following information on your orders:

  1. End-customer name and mailing address
  2. End-customer contact name and email address
  3. Optional - The Red Hat Login or end-customer Account Number

    Just as you provide a specific shipping address for the subscriptions, we need a specific electronic address or login that belongs to the end-customer. This information is extremely helpful in properly processing the order. Please provide the following information to your distributor if you are able to obtain it from or if it is provided to you by your end-customer:

    • Red Hat Login - Existing customers manage their Red Hat subscriptions with their Red Hat Network Login. Generally, the person responsible for the technical management (or system administration) of the subscriptions knows the desired Login for fulfillment.
    • Red Hat Account Number - The Account Number is an equivalent unique identifier which will provide the correct electronic location for fulfillment. The account number may be maintained by the end-customer's purchasing agent.

    If the end-customer is new to Red Hat or desires a new account/login, please indicate that on your order to streamline fulfillment.

Renewal Orders

In addition to the end-customer data described above, the following information must be provided for subscription renewal purchases:

  1. Renewal part numbers

    Renewal part numbers must be used to indicate a renewal subscription purchase. You can find a list of renewal part numbers at the following link: http://www.redhat.com/solutions/partners/distributors/

  2. Start date of the subscription renewal

    Because a renewal requires an extension of the end-customer's current subscription term, please provide the renewal date on your order. (For example, if the existing subscription is set to expire July 15, 2006, the renewal start date specified should be July 16, 2006.)

    This information ensures the order is appropriately processed as a renewal and that new subscriptions are not set-up instead.

Upon fulfillment, Red Hat notifies its distribution partner and the end-customer that the order is complete. Please be advised that your preferred distributor will then notify you that the order has been fulfilled and your end-customer has access to their subscription. In the future, Red Hat hopes to improve this information flow by directly notifying you of order fulfillment.

Thank you in advance for following these order requirements. Your continued support is appreciated.

For further questions regarding Red Hat's Channel Partner programs or the order requirements described above, please consult the Frequently Asked Questions below. You can also get your questions answered by contacting the Red Hat Channel Sales representative in your area, by emailing channel-info@redhat.com.


Red Hat Partner Operations


Red Hat Partner Programs:

To take full advantage of Red Hat's new marketing and renewals programs, and sales enablement and more as developed exclusively for our channel partners, we invite you to enroll in the Red Hat Ready Business Partner program http://www.redhat.com/solutions/partners/business/. Membership is free, and you will gain valuable benefits to help you become a more effective, more profitable Linux solution provider in your market.

Frequently Asked Questions

 

Q. Why does Red Hat require complete end-customer data?

A. By capturing complete information for all parties on an order, Red Hat is able to fulfill subscriptions more efficiently and provide our partners with more detailed order tracking and reporting. With complete end-customer information, Red Hat can immediately entitle their subscription, eliminating any registration delay. And a complete view of the parties on an order will help Red Hat provide our channel partners with the data necessary to track and pursue subscription renewal opportunities.

Q. How does providing complete data benefit me?

A. A complete view of the parties on an order will help Red Hat provide our channel partners with the data necessary to track and pursue subscription renewal opportunities. Complete data allows Red Hat to create more effective renewal programs by directing end-customers back to their preferred vendors.

Q. What if I am unable to provide the Red Hat Login or Account number on an order?

A. If multiple active Logins or Accounts exist for the end-customer, Red Hat will try to determine the appropriate account by emailing the end-customer and copying you, as the reseller of record. If after 48 hours Red Hat is still unable to determine on which account the subscriptions should be placed, the order will be fulfilled to a new account. A notification will be sent to the end-customer asking them to set up a new user login and password for the account. The end-customer will immediately be able to access the new account and the new subscriptions purchased. They will not, however, be able to manage any pre-existing subscriptions on that new account.