Mimecast nears indirect destination

After year-long channel drive, email archiving vendor claims it is "as close to 100 per cent indirect" as possible

Rainy day fund: Mimecast used direct revenues to form a channel pot for partner use

Email archiving vendor Mimecast has claimed its strategy shift from direct to completely indirect is almost complete.

Back in 2008, the vendor formalised its global channel programme in a drive to become 100 per cent indirect.

In July last year, Mimecast unveiled a ‘channel pot’ in which the vendor sets aside a slice of its direct revenue and puts it to one side for partner use.

Julian Martin, director of business development at Mimecast, said: “The channel pot is going down because we are as close to 100 per cent indirect as we can get now.

“The partner programme was open to all partners ­ we can now see which areas we would like to focus on and recruit more ­alliance, VAR and system integrator partners.”

Martin added: “We will not over-recruit because diluting margins goes against the channel, and that is what our strategy shift was for. Partners are not just about expanding reach, their margins need protecting.”