Mimecast moves closer to indirect sales model

Vendor plans to recruit software-as-a-service partners for formalised channel programme

Tim Pickard: Partners will receive the same margins in their second year as the first.

Unified email management vendor Mimecast has formalised its global channel programme in a drive to become 100 per cent indirect.

The vendor has told CRN that it plans to work with new software-as-a-service (SaaS) partners.
The programme includes Purchase Penalty, which ensures any non-incumbent partners trying to poach renewals face margin reductions.

Tim Pickard, global marketing director at Mimecast, said: “Partners are usually quite nervous of SaaS, but with Mimecast they will receive the same margins in their second year as they did in their first.”

Julian Martin, business development director at Mimecast, said: “For now, if we do get a direct customer, then Mimecast takes a slice of that revenue and puts it to one side in a channel pot.”

Paul Sweeny, managing director of reseller ANS, said: “ANS moved from BlackSpider to Mimecast as BlackSpider fell apart following several acquisitions and kept changing the agreements on margins. With Mimecast we have a reoccurring revenue stream year after year.”