Every company’s IT infrastructure is uniquely complex. As such, businesses require IT security providers with specialised cybersecurity solutions and services that address specific needs – from hybrid cloud security, to defence from targeted attacks and industrial network protection.
To help them meet these expectations, Kaspersky Lab has launched a new global partner programme ‘Kaspersky United’. This programme enables Kaspersky Lab partners – including resellers, service providers and system integrators – to focus on selling the Kaspersky Lab services and products that match their own specialisations.
They will also receive access to education, sales and marketing toolkits and benefit from a new transparent monetary rewards scheme.
According to a Kaspersky Lab survey, when it comes to cybersecurity, the complexity of IT infrastructure is the factor that’s putting the most pressure on CISOs.
Complexity widens the attack surface – it makes the protection of every aspect of infrastructure even more difficult, as it requires specific cybersecurity measures. As a result, cybersecurity providers may need to develop in-depth expertise in certain domains to offer customers specialised IT security solutions and services.
Through the Kaspersky United programme, partners can maintain and monetise their specialisations across different status levels (Registered, Silver, Gold and Platinum) in one or several domains: by solution (hybrid cloud security, threat management and defence or fraud prevention), or by services, such as managed service provider, managed detection and response provider or authorised training centre.
Certification in different skills or techniques can also help partners drive sales, by demonstrating to customers that they are experts in their particular areas of need.
“The channel is being transformed to meet customers’ expectations, with new service offerings and business models emerging,” said Ivan Bulaev, Head of Global Corporate Channel, at Kaspersky Lab, said.
“For example, system integrators have established security operation centres in their data centres and offer them as a service. We are also seeing companies specialise in niche areas, delivering very specific expertise in SaaS form, such as threat intelligence platforms. We also see more and more small and medium customers moving to an IT outsourcing model and MSP business growth following this pattern. To help the channel work effectively, as a vendor, we need to take these trends into account and create conditions in which each of our partners will find opportunities to develop and provide customers with the best solutions and services. That’s what we want to support through Kaspersky United.”
Within the programme, partners will also get comprehensive support and privileges from Kaspersky Lab, including:
- Compelling monetary rewards including significant upfront discounts, rebates on target achievement, proposal-based marketing development funds
- Specialist partner rebates of up to 20%
- Priority presales and implementation support
- Marketing and sales toolkits
- Education materials, online and offline training sessions and workshops
The next phase of the programme will see Kaspersky Lab update the partner portal, where a variety of valuable information can be found, such as whitepapers, webinars, competitive comparisons and certifications.
New partners will gain access to specially designed Partner Onboarding training and assets to ensure newcomers have all they need to start selling and earning more quickly.
Charl Ueckermann, Chief Executive Officer at AVeS Cyber Security, said: “Kaspersky United is an inspired change to the previous Kaspersky Partner Program, reflecting Kaspersky Lab’s progressive adoption of global mega-trends and continued commitment to invest in – and strengthen – its channel partners’ businesses.
“As a platinum and industrial cybersecurity partner, we’re seeing clients put more emphasis on IT to align to their enterprise objectives, focus IT investments on specific solutions that deliver real business value and partner with companies who have their unique needs at heart. The days of ‘one-size-fits-all’ approaches to IT are over, it’s now the age of the collaborating specialist, which is clearly a strategic imperative of Kaspersky Lab too,” said Charl Ueckermann, Chief Executive Officer at AVeS Cyber Security.