PC Tools looking to grow its global channel
Vendor wants about 5,000 resellers worldwide and has launched a dedicated VAR portal
Australian anti-spyware vendor PC Tools is looking to grow its global channel five-fold by the end of 2007.
The firm, which currently has about 1,000 VARs and counts Webroot, Symantec, Trend Micro and McAfee as some of its major competitors, wants to bolster its channel to about 2,000 in Europe, 2,000 in the US and 1,000 in the Asia-Pacific region.
As part of its channel push, PC Tools has launched a dedicated reseller portal and is offering margins of up to 40 per cent. It is finalising its first official VAR programme, which is due to launch in about five weeks.
Troy Vertigan, vice-president of global VAR business at PC Tools, said: “The portal means the whole order process is automated for partners. They can download marketing material and all the necessary support information directly from the portal.”
He denied recent claims that the anti-virus market was becoming commoditised (CRN, 12 February).
“The market is quite a long way from saturation point,” he said. “As end-users move more online and buy high-performance PCs and quicker broadband, threats such as identity theft and fraud begin to take on more meaning. There is always demand for the technology that can prevent this kind of activity.”
However, Bob Tarzey, service director at Quocirca, said: “The anti-virus spyware market is saturated. Today it is all about more innovative products. To get market share firms have to displace established anti-virus products. PC Tools majors in anti-spyware technology, but this is already embedded in everything, most significantly with Microsoft’s recent launch of Vista.”
Tarzey added that end-users look for an array of functionality in one package, rather than buying everything on an individual basis.
“To succeed in today’s market, firms have to have a compelling story and be able to provide traction for both the channel and end-users,” he said. “PC Tools is going to have its work cut out.”