WatchGuard Adds Specializations to Partner Program

WatchGuard Technologies has expanded its WatchGuardOne partner program to feature multiple paths of entry into partnership via individual specializations in network security, secure Wi-Fi and multifactor authentication (MFA).

Each specialization has its own set of knowledge-based requirements, including sales and technical training. Partners that attain specialization in one of these three product families can achieve full WatchGuardOne status, including financial incentives and sales, marketing and technical support, without revenue thresholds or product portfolio adoption requirements, according to the company.

WatchGuard’s Michelle Welch

Michelle Welch, WatchGuard’s senior vice president of marketing, tells Channel Partners her company has been a network security provider for more than two decades, and over the past few years it has added secure Wi-Fi and MFA to its lineup.

“The addition of specializations is a natural evolution of the WatchGuardOne program, mirroring the growing portfolio of products and services we offer,” she said. “Now, partners that have been focused on network security alone can branch out and offer new solutions to their customers, while prospective partners have more options to engage with WatchGuard without having to invest purely in network security. This way, our partners can focus their time and attention solely on the product specialization[s] that align with their business model and customers’ needs, with the flexibility to earn new specializations – and the accompanying financial benefits and support – as they please.”

Many vendors require partners to meet strict portfolio adoption requirements and revenue thresholds before they can begin receiving benefits from the channel program, Welch said. These can be “major barriers to entry for IT solution providers,” she said.

“WatchGuardOne couldn’t be any further from this model,” she said. “The new specializations structure allows partners to reach WatchGuardOne status and earn financial incentives and support by selecting the product family that’s right for them and completing the associated training requirements. That’s it. No revenue targets, no need to adopt the entire WatchGuard portfolio.”

If a partner has a longstanding engagement with another network security vendor, but their customers want an effective MFA solution, the partner can complete the WatchGuardOne MFA specialization and immediately receive the full benefits of WatchGuardOne status, Welch said. Additionally, all training for every specialization is “free and easy to access, so partners can ramp up on any or all of them to begin offering new services to customers faster,” she said.

The program expansion comes on the heels of the launch of the WatchGuard Cloud platform, designed to reduce infrastructure costs, accelerate customer acquisition and minimize time spent on administrative tasks by centralizing partners’ security management and reporting within a single cloud-based interface.

Additionally, WatchGuard integrates with remote monitoring and management (RMM) and professional services automation (PSA) solutions like ConnectWise, Autotask, Tigerpaw and SolarWinds. These integrations allow partners to better manage their businesses with streamlined access to automated reporting, inventory management, help desk tasks, invoicing, ticket management and more, WatchGuard noted.

“WatchGuard’s continued portfolio expansion and technology innovation has helped us grow and expand our business opportunity by providing a comprehensive security solution to our customers,” said Lesleigh Watson, COO of BlackPoint IT Services. “Now, with the new WatchGuardOne specializations, we have flexibility in how our staff learns about WatchGuard’s entire cyber security platform through sales and technical training. Also, the specializations come with newly added incentives that drive profitability and business growth. This program expansion is a major step forward in our partnership with WatchGuard.”