Becoming a Member
Frequently Asked Questions
- 1. Why was the Penumbra Group Formed?
Penumbra was formed in 1995 when a group of smaller Business Partner firms came to the realization that the Lotus Notes marketplace was undergoing fundamental change. Collectively, they defined the Penumbra business model. That model concentrates on developing partnering relationships among fellow members with the objective of leveraging collective skills and expertise to deliver high quality solutions to business problems at a fair price.
2. How does it work?
Penumbra is a membership organization. Penumbra gives members a forum to get acquainted and to understand the unique strengths that each member offers. All members have access to the Penumbra discussion database and many potential partnering opportunities are discussed there.
In addition, Penumbra hosts several meetings a year at locations around the world. These meetings are a chance for members to update each other on their projects and interests and to discuss industry trends and ideas. Often guest speakers from IBM and other key companies are invited to present.
The IBM Lotus team value Penumbra as a skilled community of companies who are committed to the Lotus software product offerings. As a result they provide us with information and insight that may not be available elsewhere. We are pleased to have built close links to IBM Lotus and to welcome their senior technical and management people to participate at our Penumbra events.
3. Is Penumbra a consulting organization?
No. The purpose of Penumbra is to foster collaboration among its members. All engagements are initiated and executed by the individual members involved. Penumbra does no business on its own account. However, Penumbra's Premium Partner status enhances each member's status and commands attention from both Lotus and large Notes users.
4. What is Penumbra's mission?
The mission of Penumbra is to encourage collaboration among its members, and by doing so, to enhance and support their ability to deliver cost effective Lotus Software Notes solutions. When members collaborate, they are able to compete for larger projects that require diverse talents in the project team.
5. What are the benefits of belonging to Penumbra?
The primary benefit of belonging to Penumbra is getting to know the skills and capabilities of your fellow members. This allows a member to assemble a project team comprised of other members, and to take on projects that would not be feasible otherwise.
Another benefit is the geographic coverage represented within the membership; it is easy for a member to service clients who need an on-site presence through partnering arrangements with other members.
Last, but certainly not least, is the visibility and credibility that comes with being a member of an Premium Partner organization with a growing reputation for delivering quality products and services at a competitive price.
6. What are the membership requirements?
First, Penumbra members firms must have a demonstrated record of doing high quality work and a commitment to partnering as a way of doing business. In addition, Penumbra members must be an IBM Business Partner with a principal (owner) in the firm prepared to participate actively in Penumbra. Because Penumbra is about personal relationships among entrepreneurs, we expect that member firms will be represented by owners who are intimately involved in the projects that they source and staff, and who will stand behind the quality of the work done by their firm.
Regarding size, the historic target for Penumbra was a small firm working mostly in Notes/Domino. That worked in past years, however the membership looked at the rapidly evolving technical landscape and decided to eliminate firm size as a criterion for membership. Firms of all size are welcome to apply.
We have also become much more flexible regarding the primary line of business of our candidates. With the proliferation of the Lotus product line along with ancillary products and services, the membership eliminated any line-of-business criteria from the membership requirements.
The organization’s expectations for our members remain basically: participate in projects with other Penumbra members, attend at least one Penumbra meeting each year, work occasionally on Penumbra events and projects, and pay the membership dues (currently $250/quarter).
7. How do I join?
The application process starts when an existing member agrees to introduce a candidate firm and posts a Profile of the candidate to Penumbra's private forum. The candidate is then invited to attend the next Penumbra meeting to participate in the activities and get to know the members.
When the members have become acquainted with the candidate, the Penumbra Board initiates a vote to determine if we will grant the candidate access to the Penumbra forum. This vote of the membership is secret, and access to the Penumbra forum will be granted if one-half of the Penumbra members agree.
During the period when a candidate has access to the Penumbra forum, they participate as full members except that they may neither vote nor represent to others that they are members of Penumbra. Candidates pay dues just like regular Penumbra members and are encouraged to partner with both Penumbra members and other candidates.
Throughout the candidate period, members are encouraged to discuss information about the candidate among themselves and to send comments to Penumbra Board members either through the forum or privately. Based on this and other information, there is a vote which makes the membership decision regarding the candidate’s membership.
8. How well is Penumbra working?
Members report increased levels of partnering on more complex projects; these projects would not have been feasible without the involvement of fellow Penumbra members.
Newly admitted members continue to broaden Penumbra's capabilities into areas from iSeries mainframe Notes to QuickPlace & Sametime integration, to commercial web hosting with Domino. We believe that the increasingly diverse set of skills within the Penumbra Group enhances our ability to serve the needs of our clients, and look forward to the continuation of this trend.
9. Why should I do business with the Penumbra Group?
We believe there are several compelling reasons to engage the services of Penumbra members for your Lotus Software Notes/Domino related projects.
First and foremost, we are seasoned professionals who have made our living as entrepreneurs in the computer technology business for years and even decades; our loyal client base attests to the effectiveness of our professional services.
But experience alone is not enough. With today's proliferation of increasingly complex technologies, clients need guidance in selecting the appropriate products to solve their business problems. We not only offer that guidance, but we can also draw on the depth of experience in our membership to bring exactly the technical expertise needed to make things work right. The first time.
That is the ultimate strength of the Penumbra Group. We can assemble a project team that brings together the specific skills needed to get the job done. Moreover, we already have working relationships from previous projects, so we know how to coordinate our efforts to provide a seamless solution to the client's problem.
To find out more...
Contact any Penumbra member. A list of members can be found at our web site - http://www.penumbra.org.