Trend Micro unveils new-look channel team

Security vendor says it is now resourced to the right level following recent UK rejig

Trend Micro's channel team is back to full strength following January's restructuring.

Since February, the security vendor has recruited four channel sales managers, one of whom will focus solely on pushing Trend's Deep Security proposition into the virtualisation channel. Three of them started in the past two weeks.

Tim Ayling (pictured), UK channel and marketing director, said: "This is another sign that we believe in the channel, despite the changes that happened in January."

An incentive programme designed to encourage resellers to carry out proof of concepts (PoCs) for Deep Security is progressing to plan, Ayling indicated. From 1 April, individual reseller and distributor sales staff have bagged a £100 voucher for each Deep Security PoC carried out. The top-performing reseller and distributor will each be rewarded with a team dinner.

"Since it started, we have done double the amount of PoCs than the whole of 2011. We want to drive PoCs as we have a very high closure rate on Deep Security and there is also an educational aspect, as the reseller is sent out with one of our staff."

Trend's global bosses initiated an overhaul of its UK operation in January amid concerns it was punching below its weight. This resulted in global executive vice president Wael Mohammed being parachuted in to the run the country and a spate of redundancies.

Ayling, who himself only arrived in February, said: "We are now resourced to the right level. My understanding is that we are above what we had before."