Oracle and Compaq resellers will be able to sell across the two vendors' product ranges thanks to a joint accreditation programme. The joint venture will bring together the OraclePartner Programme (OPP) and Compaq’s Enterprise Solution Provider (ESP) programme, offering free dual certifications. The deal has come into effect in the US, with plans to implement it in Britain, according to Andrew Bailey, Oracle UK marketing director for product, services and alliances. Bailey confirmed Oracle was still in talks with Compaq about UK plans and said it was hoped the deal would be in operation over here by the end of the year. Bailey said the programme was aimed at Oracle resellers who were not yet in the Compaq ESP programme, and vice versa. He denied it would lower barriers to entry for resellers or that it would lead to over-distribution. He added it was helping Oracle to build a broader channel aimed at mid-market customers for Internet packages based on Oracle8i. The deal also includes the creation of an education fund to pay for a week-long course. This combines the Oracle Database Operator (DBO) on NT course with Compaq's Master Accredited Systems Engineer (ASE) course on Oracle8i. Bailey added: "Our partners' customers will reap the benefits of deploying easy to manage Internet computing solutions from certified business partners of Oracle and Compaq." Oracle's OPP programme was announced last September to replace all its other reseller accreditation programmes. Compaq's ESP programme was launched a month later. Bailey said Oracle currently had no other such joint schemes with vendors, but did not rule out such deals in the future. ®