Trend Micro 'not even getting started' after doubling UK sales

Security vendor claims change in approach to channel is responsible for uptick in UK fortunes

Security vendor Trend Micro claims it is on course to double its UK revenues in the space of two years after revamping its channel approach.

Head of UK sales Ross Baker told CRN that 2016 UK sales will be double 2014's total, which he put down to an "evolution" in Trend's relationship with its partners.

Last year the vendor made a conscious effort to go out and speak to its customers directly, and then bring that business back through the channel, Baker said.

"In the past Trend had been guilty of trying to presume that every partner out there wanted to work with us," Baker said. "We would go to them and say 'here is the Trend Micro agenda - how much of that is relevant to you?' whereas in the last year we've gone to the channel and asked 'what's your agenda and how much of that can we be part of?'"

This investment in the channel has been coupled with an investment in sales staff. When he joined in March 2014 Baker had a sales team of three, but this will have increased to 18 by the end of the year.

Despite this growth, Baker claimed Trend Micro still isn't where it should be in the market.

"We're 27 years established but we never really got the market share that we deserved in the UK," Baker said.

"Although we're really excited about doubling our revenue, we're not even getting started yet. We're coming after a lot of the competitors in the market in the UK that have been quite complacent and responding to the market, whereas we're going out and creating a market."

Baker claims the key to Trend's continued success is its ability to offer a three-fold security solution across on-site, hybrid cloud, and cyber.

Where clients before would have had multiple security interfaces and products from different vendors, Trend now sees its strength as being able to offer an inter-connected strategy all from one vendor, Baker said.

As more clients move from on-promise to cloud, the attachment format of Trend's products allows clients to plug them straight into solutions such as VMware NSX, Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure, he explained.

"It's all well and good having great products and a lot of salespeople, but for the channel to embrace something you've got to demonstrate how it all works together in that harmony that we all desire," Baker added.