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Sophos's new program offers partners strong growth in unstable climate

Global program gives Sophos partners deal protection and reliable returns on their investments

IT security and control firm Sophos today announced the launch of its new Sophos Partner Program, a global effort which now offers a wealth of new benefits such as a two-tier margin structure, enhanced vendor support, as well as new deal registration and margin protection initiatives. In contrast to many vendors who continue to make cut backs within their channel, Sophos’s program has been designed specifically to deliver business growth for dedicated partners, strengthening their position in the market.

Sophos worked with Partners from around the globe and internal channel specialists when developing the program to ensure it delivered the right incentives, protection, training and support.

"Partners are an extension of our sales force and are best placed to help us further accelerate our growth," said Chris Doggett, Director of Global Channel Programs at Sophos. "In return, they need a vendor they can trust, who offers unique incentives and gives them the tools and training they need to beat the competition. Our company and the new Sophos Partner Program deliver on this promise. In addition, we’ve also streamlined the online selling process, and now formally recognize Partners not only for the volume of sales they bring in, but also for achieving high levels of customer satisfaction and developing specializations in specific solution sets."

Sophos Partner Portal

The Sophos Partner Portal features a new, easy-to-use interface.

All partners will benefit from margin protection through online and automated registration of net new sales opportunities, guaranteeing entitlement to the maximum margin level as well as offering compensation if a deal is procured by another Sophos partner.

"For many solution providers in today’s climate, a significant portion of their revenues are generated by selling software subscription renewals," said Sean Stenovitch, President of Sophos Platinum Partner M&S; Technologies Inc. "Unfortunately nowadays, it is also becoming more common practice for vendors to encourage customers to renew directly via the vendor website or through their direct sales team, which takes money out of solution providers’ pockets. What makes Sophos attractive is that its approach is the opposite: a partner sells every deal, the renewals go to the partner who sold the license, and they protect their partner’s investments from the first sale to the renewal of the licenses thereafter. In addition, Sophos goes the extra mile by proactively advising partners when a customer is up for renewal and has a team dedicated to helping partners close those renewals – that’s a true commitment to a partnership."

"Times are tough out there, and resellers need to be careful. Not only are customers demanding more for less and intra-channel competition seriously fierce, but some companies are not playing by the rules," continued Doggett. "Some of the recent experiences we are hearing from new partners are surprising. The best advice is to avoid vendors whose actions don’t demonstrate 100% commitment to partners, like those who offer customers the option to buy direct excluding channel involvement in the sale."