Forescout responds to partner feedback with Envision programme

Security player Forescout Technologies has cut the ribbon on its enhanced partner programme, having listened to feedback from the channel.

The firm has made changes to improve margins and increase predictability to meet some of the main demands on partners’ wish lists. It is also making a significant investment in training and go-to-market support, which was also something that was being sought.

Initially, the plan is to make the Envision partner programme available to value-added resellers and solution providers before bringing alliance and global SIs on board later this year.

Jonathan Corini, vice-president of worldwide channels at Forescout, said the company had been talking and listening to partners for a year about what sort of enhancements they would like to see in a programme.

“We felt we had a great programme but over the past year, we realised there were some things we needed to enhance,” he said.

Some of the practical changes in the Envision programme include the extension of deal registration protection from 120 days to 180 days to give partners more protection. There have also been moves to make the barriers to gaining the silver, gold and platinum tiers more realistic.

The security player hopes that the training and got-to-market support offered by the enhanced programme will increase the channel’s ability to aid users.

“We want to better empower partners to solve customers’ problems,” said Corini. “What we are trying to accomplish at a higher level is to reward partners for their value add with higher discounts and more predictability. There is a huge focus on making margin more predictable.”

As part of the enhanced programme, Forescout is launching teaming plans with partners to make sure it can help “accelerate deals together”. This is a fresh initiative and the vendor has made investments in its own customer relationship management (CRM) system and staff training to make sure it can deliver that support.

Corini said the firm had identified segmentation and operational technologies as two areas where resellers could make a difference. Only yesterday, Gartner indicated that customers were struggling with digital risk and that there was an opportunity for the channel to help ease pain in that area.

“Segmentation and OT is not necessarily new, but it is a bigger opportunity now that might bring new customers and partners,” he said.

Although the door is open to fresh partners, particularly those with segmentation and OT expertise, the main objective is to work with the existing base and reward their loyalty, he said.

With the programme launched, Forescout plan is to keep the enhancements coming and roll out further features throughout the year.

“Through 2020, Forescout will announce a series of new partner initiatives and programmes under its new partner ecosystem, Envision, unifying Forescout’s global partner landscape, inclusive of reseller, global system integrators and alliance partners,” said Corini.