For each SWG Brand, IBM Sales leaders have selected up to three "Focus Plays." The intent is to reduce the number of sales plays for each sales role, and to coordinate the sales acceleration plays with the air cover from IBM Marketing.  For example, a new cross-brand play, "Platform Matters: Drive Enterprise IT Costs with System z" has been aligned with the "Rethinking the Mainframe" campaign (and the Myth versus Truth web site).  The play is meant to equip the sales team to retain and grow workload on z/OS, and counteract the CA "Mainframe 2.0" and the HP "Mainframe Challenge" tactic.  Plays continue to available as downloadable PDFs, which have been refreshed for 2H 2009.

Please note, these PDFs may contain some internal links.    If you'd like to obtain something at an internal link, please work with your channel sales rep.  

In addition, System z software sales kits can be found here.

Like the older generation Partner Playbooks, the newer Sales Kits contain a collection of sales, marketing, technical and training resources around a specific Tivoli product or solution and are aligned by sales cycle. In addition, Sales Kits have an alphabetized list of all the collateral, links, and resources for quick browsing.  Find almost 80 Tivoli Sales Kits including:

• Tivoli System z Sales Kits
• Tivoli Security Sales Kits
• Tivoli Storage Sales Kits
• Tivoli Automation Sales Kits

• US $1495 per person saves $500 before November 15, 2009
  
• US $1395 per person with a group rate (5 or more from the same company) saves $600 before November 15, 2009

• Gain insight into best practices for marketing & selling Tivoli solutions by networking with subject matter experts
• Hear from the Tivoli executive team about the channel strategy & your key role in our business
• Attend the most extensive agenda of Tivoli education offered worldwide by extending your stay for the week
  

The PartnerWorld team has now made it easier for you to find the brand sales resources and events for System z.   Use any of these links to access this information:

Sales Kits:

Rational Sales Kits: http://www.ibm.com/partnerworld/wps/pwselector.jsp?pw.sellingresources/B7004PW,SLK

Lotus Sales Kits: https://www.ibm.com/partnerworld/wps/pwselector.jsp?pw.sellingresources/B7002PW,SLK

Webpshere Sales Kits: http://www.ibm.com/partnerworld/wps/pwselector.jsp?pw.sellingresources/B7008PW,SLK

IM Sales Kits: http://www.ibm.com/partnerworld/wps/pwselector.jsp?pw.sellingresources/B7001PW,SLK

Tivoli Sales Kits:  http://www.ibm.com/partnerworld/wps/pwselector.jsp?componentfinder/hideFacet=true/B5T20,SLK/searchKeyword=Tivoli/pageTitle=Tivoli

Events - Event Finder Tool:

Webpshere events: https://www-304.ibm.com/jct09002c/partnerworld/wps/pwselector.jsp?eventfinder/lc=en_US/B7008PW

Rational Events: https://www-304.ibm.com/jct09002c/partnerworld/wps/pwselector.jsp?eventfinder/lc=en_US/B7004PW

Lotus Events: https://www-304.ibm.com/jct09002c/partnerworld/wps/pwselector.jsp?eventfinder/lc=en_US/B7002PW

IM Events: https://www-304.ibm.com/jct09002c/partnerworld/wps/pwselector.jsp?eventfinder/lc=en_US/B7001PW

Tivoli Events:  http://www.ibm.com/partnerworld/wps/pwselector.jsp?eventfinder/hideFacet=true/B7007PW/searchKeyword=Tivoli

• IDUG Europe 2009:  October 5-9 (Rome, Italy)
• System z Expo:  October 5-9 (Orlando, FL)
• Information on Demand Global Conference:  October 25-29 (Las Vegas, NV)
  
• IBM Portal Excellence Conference 2009: 
• October 12-15 (San Diego, CA)
• October 26-28 (Salzburg, Austria)
• November 2-4 (Dubai, United Arab Emirates)
  

• Don't forget about the new z101 online class!
  

• Upcoming System z Software Top Gun classes in 2009:  Schedule is still being defined for 2009, check out the System z Software Top Gun site for more information.
• IBM TGVL:  System z Software Foundation

Open to Business Partners, customers and IBMers

Linux and System z: The winning combination

• Teleconference: October 8, 2009
• In today’s heterogeneous IT environments, more and more companies are turning to Linux® to help simplify systems management for better results. And when Linux workloads are consolidated on the mainframe, not only do you improve opportunities for enterprise-wide optimization, you can leverage the best of both Linux and the mainframe to maintain a secure and flexible business. Learn about the advantages of Linux applications integrated with System z and the capabilities that make Linux on System z, the perfect platform for deployment of business-critical workloads in this 1 hour webcast.
• click here to register
  

How to Setup Application Server to Access DB2 z/OS with High Availability

• Teleconference: October 6, 2009
• DB2 z/OS Data Sharing is well acknowledged for providing highest availability, addressing planned and unplanned outages. Nevertheless, an end user only cares that the task is executed, which is not the case if the application server cannot reach out to the database server even the database server is up and running. The presentation walks through the step-by-step process to setup a distributed application environment accessing a DB2 Data Sharing group for high availability. It discusses frequently asked questions around sysplex workload balancing and connection concentration. Join us to learn how to architecture and administer a distributed environment with DB2 z/OS as database server for high availability. 
• click here to register
  

Adapting Business Rules in CICS Applications quickly and with confidence

• Teleconference: October 7
• Many CICS COBOL Applications contain critical business rules. Adapting business rules to work smarter and optimize for profit supports new opportunities. ILOG Business Rules Management System (BRMS) enables you to adapt the business rules in your System z while avoiding lengthy application development cycles. This teleconference will give an overview of BRMS and show how it integrates critical System z business applications.
• click here to register
  

IMS 11 Open Database Meets Challenges of Modernizing IMS Database Access

• Teleconference: October 13
• This session covers one of the most significant and anticipated deliverables in the upcoming release of IMS 11 -- IMS Open Database. This function offers a robust standards-based approach for accessing IMS databases from a growing number of strategic runtimes and platforms, which include z/OS, zLinux, and Windows. Java is the primary development language targeted for this support. Exciting integration opportunities will be identified as well as early exploiters of this brand new technology. In this teleconference you’ll see how IMS 11 meets the challenge of modernizing IMS database access and application development by offering scalable, distributed and high-speed local access to IMS database resources.
• click here to register
  

Address Network Management Challenges with Tivoli Netview for z/OS V5.4

• Teleconference: October 15
• As traditional SNA networks are updated with TCP/IP, SNA over IP and DVIPA, New techniques are required to address these new Network Management challenges.
• The good news for NetView for z/OS users is that IBM has been anticipating and preparing for these new challenges. As a result of new enhancements in NetView for z/OS, IBM can deliver a robust solution for managing these new networking challenges. This includes managing Enterprise Extender, HPR, and TCP/IP AND DVIPA with TEP, a cool updated GUI.
• In this teleconference you will see examples of how these new enhancements can be applied to sample scenarios.
• click here to register
  

Ensuring Business Resiliency with DB2 Backup and Recovery

• Teleconference: October 20
• In this teleconference we’ll discuss DB2 on z/OS system backup methodologies and how storage-based fast-replication is fundamental to implementing these backup and recovery solutions. It describes system backup characteristics, requirements, uses, and advantages for DB2. You will learn how IBM DB2 Recovery Expert for z/OS implements a DB2 system backup methodology that supports IBM, EMC and Hitachi storage systems. This session explores how the type of storage-based fast-replication used for a system backup can affect backup frequency, backup uses, recovery speed, and storage utilization. This session will detail how Recovery Expert system level backups can be used to speed up and simplify DB2 object, application, system, and disaster recovery processes.
• click here to register
  

Work Smarter: Delivering Business Agility with Dynamic, Interconnected Processes

• Teleconference: October 21
• Today’s market imperatives to do more with less place an ever increasing focus on business processes. Your businesses processes are hold the key to managing the current environment and positioning for success tomorrow. You can increase your agility and optimize costs through business processes. Truly dynamic business processes that are continuously optimized provide many avenues for cost optimization. You can reduce by automating manual processes, extending more power to business users, and making it easier to implement changes. Please join this teleconference to learn about the new enhancements to our BPM portfolio and how you can work smarter with dynamic business processes.
• click here to register
  

Top 10 Tips for OMEGAMON XE

• Teleconference: October 29
• Have you explored the OMEGAMON graphic user interfaces via an internet browser access?  
• Once you have Tivoli Enterprise Portal (TEP) with feeds from OMEGAMON XE, what should you do next?
• Why not eliminate the finger pointing by creating a seamless real-time view showing the interaction of components such as z/OS, CICS, DB2, IMS, MQ, Storage, WebSphere and Networks?
• Join this teleconference and learn tips and hints to 
• Transform OMEGAMON out-of-the-box workspaces into new eye popping views of your enterprise with better performance and usability.
• Understand how a few simple tips can enable you to create exciting new workspaces such as Cross-LPAR or end-to-end application views that match user responsibility and skill levels.
• click here to register