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SonicWall and Veeam enhance managed service support
Increasing support for those looking to deliver services is behind changes in partner programmes at both vendors
One of the themes of the year has been the movement by vendors to increase the support they can give to those resellers looking to increase their services revenue. Even though there is just a matter of days left in 2019 those efforts are continuing with SonicWall and Veeam adding to the list of those have increased the options for partners.
The battle to win the hearts and minds of the managed security services (MSSP) community has been raging all year. One of the vendors keen to make life difficult for competitors by raising the bar around both technology and support a SonicWall.
The vendor has launched its My Workspace interface that allows MSSPs to manage multiple tenants and has started working with its distribution partners on a pilot programme that will go live next year with greater levels of support for those selling services. Account management has been simplified, and product registration and licensing made more straightforward for partners.
Terry Greer-King, vice president of EMEA sales at SonicWall, said that managed security services was more than just providing remotely monitored firewalls and it was arming its partners with a more compelling offering.
He said that a lot of customer decisions were business led and although the technology was important MSSPs have to be prepared to reach out to different buyers.
"A business led conversation doesn't necessarily come from an IT department or sales," he added that marketing was often the part of the organisation driving change.
He said that there was still plenty of opportunity out in the market for MSSPs: "The majority of customers still manage their own devices but 84% plan to move to a shared model or fully MSSP model and that creates a tremendous opportunity," he said.
He added that it was working with Tech Data, Ingram Micro and Infinigate to make sure that it could reach a wide channel audience to promote its MSSP offering.
The cloud data management specialist has launched its Accredited Services Partner (VASP) programme. Veeam has taken its existing professional services department and made sure that it is able to offer support to the channel. Partners will be able to get access to a range of resources that should help them compete for more complex deals.
Those that sign up to the VASp programme will get access to services IP on the partner portal, collaborative and customisable offerings and dedicated resources from the vendor.
“Today, data management is imperative to an organization’s growth. To remain competitive, leaders need qualified professionals to implement and manage the technologies that will enable them to transform into more intelligent businesses,” said Danny Allan, Vice President of Product Strategy at Veeam.
“Veeam is committed to delivering a business model that is fully focused on its partner ecosystem and providing the highest level of service for its customers. With these enhanced capabilities to our partner ecosystem, partners are equipped with the tools to shape and control the solution transaction and customer journey.”
