Webroot Takes Channel-Only Aim at Endpoint Security

**Editor’s Note: Click here for a list of recent channel-program changes you should know.**

The endpoint security market in North America is expected to hit $4.94 billion by 2019, up from $3.77 billion this year, according to new research from MicroMarket Monitor.

Webroot is among the companies aiming to take advantage of this growth and, to do so, it recently debuted its channel-only sales model with a revamped partner program for VARs and MSPs serving SMBs.

Webroot, which was founded in 1997, specializes in cloud-based Internet, file and mobile endpoint security. It’s had a channel initiative for some time but decided to formalize that effort, called Channel Edge, before introducing it about a month ago.

Webroot took a while to debut Channel Edge because it wanted feedback and proven momentum first, said Darren Niller, senior director of worldwide alliance and channel marketing for Webroot.

“We didn’t want to roll out just any other channel program,” he said.

So Webroot took the time to create partner-friendly sales and marketing tools and support, and put them all into what it calls Channel Edge.

“We want to help [partners] make money – we see this as a relationship that goes both ways,” Niller said.

With that in mind, Webroot’s Channel Edge offers two participation tiers: Registered and Elite. Both levels receive the following:

However, Elite partners, of course, get more benefits because they are investing more money and people. To that end, they also are eligible for:

Niller declined to provide the specific margins that partners can earn but said they range between 20 and 40 percent, depending on region and partner type.

“Channel partners are a critical component of Webroot’s growth strategy in the SMB segment, so having a strong partner enablement program is very key to our success,” said David Bennett, vice president of worldwide consumer and SMB sales at Webroot, in a press release. “Our objective is to increase our network of highly skilled and motivated partners with deep expertise in our products, so our users get the best experience possible from pre-sales evaluation to post-sales support.”