Luis Arís, Business Development Manager at Paessler LATAM, tells us about the business opportunities available in the company’s channel ecosystem in 2024.
What does your position entail?
I am responsible for Paessler’s business development in Latin America, which involves onboarding, structuring and providing commercial and technical support to resellers in all countries in the region as well as organizing virtual and in-person events for the dissemination and presentation of our product, the monitoring platform PRTG.
Paessler is a German software vendor with headquarters in Nuremberg and more than 500,000 users in 170 countries. Thanks to the intelligence and resilience of our platform, the user companies use PRTG to monitor IT, OT and IoT environments. The platform uses intelligent sensors to find out the status of hardware, software, services and processes, launching alerts that allow the customer to take proactive actions to avoid downtime.
Can you explain how your company works with channel partners?
We have partner programs with four different levels (Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum) and five different certifications (Sales, Monitoring, Implementation, Enterprise and Training). To register as a direct reseller the Sales and Monitoring certifications are a prerequisite or a wannabe reseller can also work their sales through a VAD/Value Added Distributor. Each partner level has more discounts in their registered opportunities. We organize webinars and events with outstanding partners.
What is your management philosophy?
For us, it is essential that our channels are properly trained and prepared to be able to carry out an attractive and trustworthy sales process for the prospect and make sure that after making a sale, they provide high-quality implementation and support services.
For this reason, being certified is a requirement to be part of our reseller network. We generate demand by presenting our solution in webinars and in live events in alliance with our partners.
Do you work differently with channel partners in Latin America compared to other regions?
In LATAM we have a VAR program which is composed with our 25 top resellers all of them with all the certifications, and this group of resellers have an additional 10% discount on their opportunities as well as a 5% additional discount on their renewals. Every year we provide them with new sales training and with new sales strategies that have worked for us with our direct businesses.
How do your partners deliver Paessler solutions to end-users?
In addition to carrying out their own prospecting, we hold joint events where we bring potential clients who have downloaded our free version, have requested quotes directly from us or have participated in our demos and/or webinars.
How do you ensure channel partners flourish in a highly competitive market?
By providing a solid, multi-protocol, unified solution, that is easy to implement, configure and manage, as well as training our partners by effectively presenting our product to potential customers.
The LATAM economy is in an accelerated digitalization process – this means that IT and OT (Operational Technology – industrial applications at oil and gas plants, for instance) managers must control new and complex environments. This reality is highlighting the strategic value of convergency between different digital technologies.
PRTG is a monitoring platform in constant expansion, with sensors that can check from software and telecom performance to IoT/OT functions and governance processes. It is easy to implement and easy to use.
Partners that work with PRTG have business opportunities in several fields.
In all industries, the user experience defines the winners and the losers in the market. A solid monitoring platform can ensure – with the help of better processes and other kinds of solutions – the best user experience and the maximum rentability for LATAM business.
What are the latest trends you see emerging across the channel?
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. AI and ML resources are now widely utilized by many organizations in their operations, yielding substantial benefits such as enhanced performance, strengthened customer service, improved data analytics, resolution of production issues and increased revenues.
Cybersecurity. As most companies and firms transition to online business operations, the relocation of a significant amount of data to offsite servers or the cloud has become a common practice. However, this shift also brings about an increased risk of hacks and breaches.
Sustainable technology. This approach seeks to create and use technologies in ways that minimize their negative impact on the environment, promote social and economic equity, and are economically viable over time.
Platform engineering. This trend has gained prominence due to its commitment to optimizing the developer experience and expediting the delivery of customer value by product teams.
Cloud migration. The capability to migrate data, applications and infrastructure to the cloud presents unparalleled opportunities for growth, innovation and operational efficiency.
OT and IT convergency. Due to the high complexity of industrial plants (OT systems), it is often necessary to utilize monitoring dashboards to gain control over specific production areas or equipment like PLCs. Conversely, the need for seamless integration of shop floor data with administrative systems like ERPs demands that the shop floor dashboard be connected to management dashboards, providing online information with a substantial impact on business performance.
Which regions do you see offering the most opportunities for your company?
Brazil is the largest economy in LATAM. Besides this country, we see growth in the Andean countries and, without a doubt in Mexico, which in 2023 was our best country for sales.