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The consulting and software company fecher presented a new partner program for its tool-based service "The Porting Project" at the 2009 Porting Project Roadshow 2009. Manufacturers of and application support specialists working with software solutions based on Gupta Team Developer are offered attractive conditions and comprehensive support with porting to Microsoft's .NET environment. The ability of a partner to participate depends on its partner status and ranges from simple verification of a potential agreement all the way to implementing the porting project itself. The new program is effective immediately and will be presented from May through June at events held in Microsoft branch offices in Munich, Cologne, Berlin, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Zurich and Vienna.

"In Germany alone, there are still hundreds of business-critical applications running on Gupta Team Developer" explains Eberhard Fecher, CEO and owner of fecher. "Most users would prefer to switch - and sooner rather than later - to a modern platform such as .NET, but porting such software is also a matter of trust. Service providers with whom these companies have successfully worked together in the past are therefore needed for this." This being precisely the group that fecher wants to target with its new partner program: From a systems supplier advising individual end customers on their application landscape to a software company with hundreds of its own installations, partners should be offering their core-competence services to their end customers. "Everything else can be obtained from us at attractive terms and conditions", explains Fecher.

The Gupta to .NET porting is usually performed by fecher's porting specialists who have migrated hundreds of applications over the past two years and have developed and fine-tuned the corresponding methodology. The partner then mediates this porting project and depending on its partner status, participates in the project:

• A Referral Partner is limited to verifying that a porting project agreement may be concluded.
• A Sales Partner provides active support during the sales process.
• A Fulfillment Partner provides technical support, handles project management or executes large parts of the project itself.

fecher's support given to its partner companies in this program takes the form of a comprehensive "Partner Package". The services offered range from training given to technical and marketing employees, free access to the entire porting knowledge database, and depending on the contract model, may even include commission payments or remuneration for services rendered. The package also includes special terms for an in-house porting project.

"Deciding to become a porting partner now will enable you to offer your clients an attractive service package, implement those project parts yourself that fit your skill sets and later maintain the installations yourself", Fecher summarized. "For consulting and software companies, this ensures good long-term client relationships." Recently concluded fecher partner agreements in Benelux, South America and the Far East have already generated good positive experiences.