Vendors reveal their security channel plans for 2008 5 January, 2008 By Patricia Pickett

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For the first time, CA Technologies will have a channel partner program dedicated solely to its security threat management products and offerings. According to George Kafkarkou, the vendor's senior vice president, the program will include benefits such as training, special performance incentive funds, not-for-resale products, qualified quoted leads, funded heads, priority technical support, advanced product information, product launch participation, demand-generation programs, and an on-line portal for co-branded collateral.

CA plans to focus on two primary security areas: the security suite, which is "expected to become a major revenue generator for security companies and the partners who support them," and the next generation of end point protection, which will be embraced by companies that need to protect highly confidential information or intellectual property, Kafkarkou said.

Bob Hansmann, senior product marketing manager for Trend Micro Inc., said his company plans to deliver some "very unique technologies" in the area of data protection, thanks to its recent acquisition of Provilla Inc. Web reputation services will also be a significant area of focus, as customers are looking for better ways to deal with zero-day threats on the web for increasingly mobile users, he said.

Trend Micro will continue to invest in personnel and training programs to help partners understand the opportunities with data leakage protection and software-as-a-service and take advantage of the business revenue potential associated with these areas, said Nancy Reynolds, the vendor's vice president of channel and SMB sales and marketing. Support options programs are also in the process of being enhanced, which "will enable channel partners to up-sell a comprehensive package to customers that require additional resources in areas other than consulting or deployment," she added.

Novell Inc. will work on differentiating its identity-driven systems management architecture, focusing on workstation configuration management and endpoint security from its ZENworks family, said the firm's Canadian chief technology officer, Ross Chevalier. "We will also continue to create awareness on the importance of provisioning and user self-service as mechanisms to increase simplicity and thereby improve security." In 2008, Novell's commitment to the channel will be "greater than it's been for years," as dedicated partner execs and inside partner managers will work with partners to ensure they're equipped to deliver the vendor's solutions, Chevalier added.

RSA Security Inc., a division of EMC Corp., plans to continue focusing on information-centric security solutions, including secure enterprise data; secure employee, partner and customer access; and management of secure information, including compliance with security policies and regulations, said Chris Clinton, the vendor's director of worldwide channels.

Michael Ross, area vice-president for RSA's Americas channel, said the vendor wants to provide partners with opportunities to move beyond selling and implementing point products. "We want them to be able to sell solution sets and to be able to provide services for assessing security risks and developing security policies." To help with that, RSA will offer enhanced product training, technical workshops and best-practice Webinars on selling, positioning and deploying its technologies, and increased revenue opportunities involving broader product and solutions sets. "We'll be strategically working with our partners to develop business plans and improve focus and alignment by market, solution and partner segment," Ross said.

Mark Romano, global director of channel marketing with WatchGuard Technologies Inc., said his firm will unveil new security appliances that utilize application proxy technology, which, combined with deep-packet inspection, will provide "holistic, real-time protection against new forms of viruses, malware and other forms of attack." The vendor will team with channel partners to communicate the benefits of such security solutions, he said.

Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. shied away from shedding any light on the products and services it will focus on in the coming year. But Dave Burton, the vendor's director of product marketing, noted that Check Point's recently-launched PureAdvantage Channel Partner Program, which includes customized programs and certifications by market segment, improved partner rewards and enhanced marketing support, will be key to his firm's success.