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Symantec Aligns Channel Programme to Partners' Customer Focus

Enhances technical support, launches pre-release and beta programme

Hong Kong -- 14 May 2004 - Symantec Corp. (Nasdaq:SYMC), the global leader in information security, today announced it is mapping partner categories to customer market segments to better align the programme with partners' customer focus. This new structure will enable Symantec to provide market-specific tools and resources to help partners, such as value added resellers (VARs), increase their hit rate and grow their Symantec business. Symantec is also enhancing partner benefits and launching new ones including enhanced technical support, free technical training, pre-release and beta programmes.

"The industry landscape is changing and VARs are now specialising in technologies and vertical markets, enabling them to become experts within a certain market segments and customer size," said Allyson Seelinger, Symantec's vice president of North American channels. "Over the past year our partners have told us they want market-specific products, solutions, and sales and marketing support. The new programme structure together with new and enhanced benefits will enable partners to focus on their core customer base and help drive additional revenue and business opportunities."

Symantec's industry-leading channel partner programme is part of the company's partner ecosystem and serves partners such as VARs, system integrators, corporate resellers, and direct marketers. With the new structure, channel partners will be categorised by the size of customer they sell to, rather than their technical ability and security knowledge. The categories include:

  • Enterprise Security Partners - These partners are VARs selling Symantec's security solutions to large enterprises. Partners in this category will have a dedicated security professional services organisation and have the ability to provide first line support. As security experts they are able to deploy and integrate multi-vendor security solutions, they are experienced in multiple operating systems, and have the ability to implement security pilots for customers during the pre-sales cycle. Enterprise Security Partners will have a minimum of two employees with Symantec technical certifications and two Symantec Sales Specialists on staff.

  • Enterprise Administration Partners - These partners are VARs selling Symantec's enterprise administration products to medium and large enterprises. Partners in this category will have a dedicated professional services organisation and the ability to provide first line support. As enterprise administration experts they are able to deploy and integrate multi-vendor solutions, they are experienced in multiple operating systems, and have the ability to implement pilots for customers during the pre-sales cycle. Enterprise Administration Partners will have a minimum of two employees with Symantec technical certifications and two Symantec Sales Specialists on staff.

  • Enterprise Solutions Partners - These partners are VARs selling Symantec's security solutions to medium and small enterprises. Partners in this category must be able to deploy and integrate multi-vendor security solutions, have experience in multiple operating systems, and have the ability to implement security pilots for customers during the pre-sales cycle. Enterprise Solutions Partners will have at least one employee with a Symantec Technical Certification and two Symantec Sales Specialists on staff.

  • Enterprise Sales Partners - These partners are named and managed corporate resellers and direct marketers who sell volume licences to large and medium enterprises. Partners in this category provide licensing and software asset management to enterprise customers and have proven experience selling security software solutions.

  • Software Partners - These partners are security, systems management, and/or storage solutions resellers selling Symantec solutions to small businesses and consumers.

Symantec continues to support Premier Software Partners, who are named and managed large retail, mass merchant and mail order resellers selling to small enterprises, with a comprehensive set of sales and marketing benefits.

" Market conditions are changing, and our customers' requirements are becoming more complex in the corporate environment. Its up to vendors and partners like Symantec and Unisys to ensure world class support to customers regardless of their needs," said Thomas Lee, Director, Global Network Services Practice, Greater China, Unisys. "Symantec's initiative to provide this new level of certification to raise the quality of information security services in the industry is paramount."

The Symantec Channel Partner Programme delivers a comprehensive set of benefits, including ongoing services and support and marketing and sales tools, to help partners secure and manage customers' infrastructures. Based on partner feedback from regional partner councils and partner satisfaction surveys, Symantec is enhancing technical support and introducing new benefits that help partners meet their customers' needs. New and enhanced benefits include:

  • Enhanced Technical Support - With most large enterprises running 24x7 operations and partners installing solutions after hours, around the clock support is necessary for Enterprise Security Partners and Enterprise Administration Partners. These partners will receive 24x7 implementation support along with their current support benefits, which include pre-sales support, priority queuing, and priority access to senior technicians.

  • Free Technical Training - Symantec is providing free instructor-led technical training and free self-paced technical training as a formal benefit to Enterprise Security Partners, Enterprise Administration Partners, and Enterprise Solutions Partners.

  • Pre-Release Programme - Designed to help partners gain traction in the market and get up to speed on new products, the Pre-Release Programme provides eligible partners access to new products prior to launch.

  • Beta Programme - This programme enables partners to engage with Symantec at various levels of the product development cycle. Partners participating in the Beta Program have the opportunity to provide technical feedback and evaluations on Symantec enterprise security solutions prior to their release.

For more information on the Symantec Partner Programme visit www.symantecpartner.com.

About Symantec
Symantec is the global leader in information security providing a broad range of software, appliances and services designed to help individuals, small and mid-sized businesses, and large enterprises secure and manage their IT infrastructure. Symantec's Norton brand of products is the worldwide leader in consumer security and problem-solving solutions. Headquartered in Cupertino, California, Symantec has operations in more than 35 countries. More information is available at http://www.symantec.com.

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