Proofpoint Offers More Simplicity with New Element Partner Program

Proofpoint has launched its new Element Partner Program that aims to drive channel sales, enhance customer relationships and bolster additional revenue streams.

The new partner program allows thousands of Proofpoint MSPs, MSSPs, distributors and VARs to tap into the company’s growing cybersecurity and compliance platform portfolio to build their business and increase revenue.

Joe Sykora is Proofpoint‘s senior vice president of global channel and partner sales.

Proofpoint’s Joe Sykora

“Our previous program was a standard, three-tiered ‘precious metals’ kind of program, but that isn’t how our partners want to operate, nor is it a model that is optimized and ideal for SaaS offerings,” he said. “By simplifying our program to two tiers – core and elite – we’re stripping away a lot of the complexity associated with most partner programs.”

In addition, Element is not a “revenue goal only” type of program, Sykora said.

“While that’s important, there are other metrics that are as important to our partners,” he said. “Our partners want to be supported in their respective routes to market, whether it be VARs and direct reselling, or MSSPs offering services. For example, to achieve elite or specialized status, our partners need to go through training and labs. Some of them would like sales enablement, marketing or training support. And yet others don’t necessarily have a large staff to and need more support for labs and demo centers. And Element offers all of this.”

New Proofpoint Partner Program Offers Two Tiers

The newly revamped program provides the channel with the tools they need to grow their customer relationships. Moreover, they can achieve higher win rates through sales enablement, training resources, marketing development and technical support.

Minimum requirements are needed to maintain core status. And core partners receive multiple benefits to sell and support Proofpoint solutions. Those include deal registration, sales certifications, technical training and rewards.

Elite partners meet the most rigorous revenue goals, invest in sales and technical training, and actively promote Proofpoint solutions. In return, elite partners receive significant deal registration discounts, a dedicated channel account manager, priority in available marketing fund allocation and several other top-tier benefits. They may also benefit from a value incentive rebate. That’s based on revenue growth commitments signed on a joint yearly business plan.

Information Protection Specialization

Partners can also consider specializing in information protection. They can do so with product focus areas such as cloud access security broker (CASB); endpoint data loss prevention (DLP) or insider threat management; or Proofpoint security awareness training.

“We want our partners to be able to cut through the noise of the competition, backed by our proven reputation and cybersecurity technology,” Sykora said. “We’ve built Element to help our partners succeed and scale their business by providing value and powering their recurring revenues through an updated discounting structure and additional partner protection. In addition, our partners in one of our specialized programs will receive additional margin and services opportunities.”

The combination of Proofpoint’s recurring revenue model, opportunities to expand and upsell, and yearly renewal rate of more than 90%, ensures partners can maximize growth and increase revenue, he said.

“Being able to provide a single, market-leading set of cybersecurity, information protection, archiving and compliance solutions puts our partners in the strongest position to build better relationships,” Sykora said. “They also have the opportunity to add their own set of services on top of Proofpoint’s technology to increase profitability, recurring revenue and customer loyalty.

Janel Schalk is Trace3‘s head of security enablement and sales.

“Proofpoint’s focus on providing extensive information protection capabilities, with key cybersecurity product integrations, resonates and aligns with how we think about data being central to everything we do in security,” she said. “Our incredible channel team and the entire Proofpoint organization supports our combined ability to guide strategy while providing elite engineering services to our joint clients, helping them better protect their information, protect against threats and meet compliance requirements.”