Kaspersky acts to protect partners
Russian anti-virus vendor shakes up deal registration structure as part of channel programme 2010 refresh
Trim: Competitors have set their sights on us
Kaspersky Lab has tweaked its margin structure to help lower-level partners fend off last-minute raids from its top resellers on registered deals.
The anti-virus vendor admits that top-level Enterprise partners were previously able to undercut mid-tier Certified partners on registered opportunities and still make money, and has changed its margin structure accordingly.
Under the new system, which has been put online to improve ease-of-use, entry-level Accredited resellers will also be able to register deals for the first time.
Bill Trim, corporate sales director at Kaspersky, said: “Our message is that we
are protecting the partners that are bringing the deals to the table.”
This is just one of several tweaks Kaspersky has made to its Green Team channel programme at the start of 2010.
The vendor has also doubled its direct-touch team to six, and has split its recently launched Sales Academy into two tracks to cater for partners’ technical staff.
It claims that more than 100 partners used the facility in its first six months.
Technical and sales communities have also been set up for partners that have attended.
Trim said: “We grew more than 30 per cent last year, which is high relative to our competition and we have plans to grow at an even higher rate this year. I know our competitors have set their sights on us and our sweet spot, so we are bracing ourselves for a tough year.”
Chris Smith, head of regional channel sales for UK and Ireland, said: “McAfee is almost paranoid as to how Kaspersky is taking a slice of its business.”
Ian Kilpatrick, chairman of Kaspersky distributor Wick Hill, said the deal registration changes were an “important step” in the vendor’s growth.
“This change will ensure that people who deserve the margin for doing the work get to keep it,” he said.