Webroot and Carbonite to re-launch channel programme in 2020

Cybersecurity vendor Webroot has spoken out about plans to build a new channel organisation following its acquisition by data protection firm Carbonite in March. 

“We have two emerging channels that we’re trying to combine together, and it’s going to create a lot of opportunity for us,” Tim Sheahen, director of sales at Webroot told Microscope recently, adding that developing a combined channel partner programme was “going to be our first obstacle overcome.” 

“We have different programmes altogether, so different deal programmes, different margins, different routes to market. So that the first initial challenge is to try to build a unified and simplified partner programme, where we’re going to make it very easy to buy for partners to buy and try our solutions.” 

The exec also noted that an initial goal is to help partners cross sell across the expanded product lines. “We’re going to do a good job of making the data protection people security experts, and the security experts, data protection experts. That’s going to come through a lot in certification.” 

Webroot has 16,000 channel partners worldwide, and Carbonite has between 4-5,000 partners. “On the Webroot side of the business, it is very focused on MSPs and RMM [remote monitoring and management] providers. On the Carbonite side, they take a more traditional resale approach, leveraging VARs and distribution and some of the DMRs; there’s not a lot of crossover. So now we have an opportunity to be able to start leveraging some of those VARs and DMRs to start selling Webroot, and vice versa,” said Sheahen 

Headed up by Webroot’s long-standing VP of worldwide channel sales, Charlie Tomeo, the changes will be rolled out in several phases. 

“You’re going to start seeing the initial pieces start to happen in the first quarter of 2020. The first goal is getting unified into one console, and then start to work on the automation piece,” said Sheahen.