Check Point sets partner benchmarks

Partners are missing out on "easy" deals, claims new UK head Terry Greer-King

Greer-King: I know as a senior manager you just want simple information you can act on

Security vendor Check Point will begin benchmarking its partners to show that they are often leaving easy upgrade or renewal opportunities on the table.

Terry Greer-King, who joined the firm as UK managing director from 2e2 last month, said resellers will be ranked against their peers to help elucidate easy deals in their existing Check Point estates. This includes ensuring the install base is upgrading to Check Point’s new blade architecture.

“Having been there for 2e2, I know as a senior manager you just want simple information you can act on,” he said.

“Sometimes it is not easy to see the wood from the trees as there are so many vendors and opportunities out there.”

Greer-King said two recent partner roundtables with top and emerging partners illustrated that most resellers are not aware that information on renewal, upgrade or refresh opportunities can be obtained on Check Point’s partner portal.

“When we extrapolated what [the opportunity] meant in pounds, shillings and pence it was a real eye opener,” he said.

Nick Lowe, head of western Europe at Check Point, revealed that emerging partners had been quicker to adopt Check Point’s new blade technologies and he claimed that some established partners were stuck in the past.

“The message from the two communities was very different,” he said. “It is the younger, emerging partners that are smelling that opportunity.”

“DLP evaluations and proof of concepts have gone through the roof, but they have been biased disproportionately towards our emerging resellers. Some established resellers are hooked on the appliance sell.”

Etienne Greeff, director at Check Point Platinum partner MIS, welcomed the strategy. “Benchmarking partners is a good idea,” he said. “There might be areas where other partners are doing well, but you are missing the boat. Its software blades have been slowly taking off, but a very large part of the Check Point estate has not been made aware of how it can save them money.”