(WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — Integrated network security and business continuity solutions Stonesoft (www.stonesoft.com) has launched “Tech-Start,” a free, basic accreditation scheme to help resellers quickly start selling Stonesoft products without an initial upfront investment in technology and training.
According to Stonesoft’s Monday announcement, Tech-Start accreditation simplifies the route to market for resellers by offering a free induction session, on a monthly basis, that condenses basic technical and business development training into a single day. Attending resellers receive a certificate of recognition, highlighting to customers that they are on their way to full accreditation, and in the meantime, they can then begin pre-selling network security and business continuity solutions.
“Accreditation is a very important step for resellers who want to successfully sell into a tough market, such as the security space, but the initial upfront investment in training and technology means that it’s also a stumbling block for resellers that want to test the water with a new product,” Stonesoft UK & Ireland regional manager Ash Patel said in a statement. “We’ve designed Tech-Start to enable resellers to take on Stonesoft products with the minimum investment and only commit fully when they have the forecast revenue to do so.”
Stonesoft has three direct channel partner packages: Certified Global System Integrator for partners who operate globally in several regions; Certified Regional System Integrator for delivering services to end user customer segments and verticals in their region; and Certified Service Provider for regional Stonesoft managed services providers.
Stonesoft also offers two options for distribution channel partners: Certified Distributor, which lets logistics, channel management and channel development providers order products from Stonesoft and sell them to authorized resellers; and Authorized Resellers, which are authorized Stonesoft partners who deliver solutions directly to end-users.
Ash concludes, “In this economy, we’ve seen that customers are very willing to look outside of the dominant vendors for a solution that can deliver a better price to performance ratio. However, we recognise that, as a challenger vendor, we need to make it easier for resellers to bring our products into their portfolios and we believe that Tech-Start will help them do that.”
