Malwarebytes Targets MSPs with New Program, Operations Console

Malwarebytes on Wednesday unveiled its enhanced cloud platform, and rolled out its MSP Premier Partner Program (MP3) and OneView, MP3’s cloud-based operations console.

MP3 and OneView will enable MSPs to grow their revenue through streamlined delivery of security solutions to their SME customers. The Malwarebytes Nebula platform provides cloud delivery and management across the entire Malwarebytes’ product portfolio including incident response, endpoint protection, and endpoint detection and response (EDR).

Mike LaPeters, Malwarebyte’s vice president of worldwide MSP and channel operations, tells us his company has always taken a regional/segmented view of the channel.

Malwarebytes’ Mike LaPeters

“We have undertaken this initiative primarily to globalize and centralize our programs under one umbrella relationship,” he said. “The important thing for both us and our partners is our relationship. Treating partners as partners is what is most important. Reselling, MSP (services), technician or break-fix are just specializations. MP3 is a realization of this vision.”

Previously in limited release, MP3 offers a tiered approach to suit specific customer and licensing needs, scaling to fit the evolving needs of MSPs, the company said. The OneView console enables onboarding of new customers, management of license and billing, global policy setting and role-based access control. Additional features include in-console support and customer reporting with insights into the value that the MSP is delivering through endpoint protection activities including detected threats and remediation activity.

The intent or spirit behind MP3 is different from what’s been in place for partners, LaPeters said.

“How a partner transacts (reselling, delivering as a service or offering break-fix) is just a matter of logistics; it shouldn’t define our engagement,” he said. “The fundamental message of this program is we have partners and we will help those partners deliver value to their customer in whatever way best meets their customer’s needs. Secondly, we have invested a lot in trying to understand how to help partners deliver a better outcome for their customers. One of the cornerstone features of the MSP launch is the ability for partners to earn security training certificates. These are granted in increasing volume as their tier level increases. These certificates allow the partner to get advanced security training, funded by Malwarebytes, to increase their knowledge and expertise in security.”

The training is an investment in helping partners to get better at delivering security across the board, LaPeters said.

“Think something along the lines of Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) or Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) [or] Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE),” he said. “Partners growing their capabilities helps everyone. It’s a key foundational value of Malwarebytes; everyone is entitled to a malware-free existence.”

Along with the launch of MP3, Malwarebytes has increased its internal dedicated team by nearly 10 times, LaPeters said.

“We also have built a new licensing model which enables partners to add, modify and remove licenses without the need to place orders or talk to a person,” he said. “So, for example, a customer of an MSP needs 20 endpoints added at 3 a.m. on a Sunday — well, they just add them. No waiting for business hours; we want to be real-time in how our partners support their clients. Threats don’t wait for business hours.”

Malwarebytes Malware Removal Service (MRS) and Premium Services, previously in controlled availability, also are now available to all enterprises. MRS provides intervention and triage to manage and isolate a critical malware incident, while Premium Services offer dedicated security resources to suit the needs of each customer.

“We see more businesses shifting their security needs to MSPs in order to better address the rapidly evolving threat landscape,” said Akshay Bhargava, Malwarebytess’ chief product officer. “Our enhanced Malwarebytes Nebula platform and MSP offerings mean that our partners can better protect their customers. Enhanced operational controls and reporting ensure these businesses have a strong posture against threats and can recover with minimal downtime in the event of a breach.”