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<< Previous Chief | Back To 2008 Channel Chiefs | Next Chief >>Michael Ross, RSA, the Security Division of EMC
| Channel Chief Name | Michael Ross |
| Channel Chief Title | Area VP, Americas Channel |
| Company and Division | RSA, the Security Division of EMC |
| Markets Served: |
Security |
| Company's overall 2007 revenue: | > $500 million |
| Percentage of revenue from solution providers: | 85% |
| Number of years with the company: | 2+ |
| Number of years involved with indirect sales: | 20 |
| Number of employees in channel organization: | 60 |
| To whom do you report in your organization? | Brien Naylon, VP, Americas Sales |
| Does that individual report to your CEO/president? | No, 1 level removed |
| Describe your channel organization's major accomplishments over the past year: | 1) Successful deep launch of RSA enVision security information and event management (SIEM) solution through channel and distriubtion 2) Provided new marketing opportunities & products for the channel: Compliance Assurance solutions including our RSA PCI DSS Solution and Information Risk Management for Financial Services Solution; and new products from our acquisitions of Valyd (RSA File Security Manager), Verid (RSA Knowledge-Based Authentication) & Tablus (RSA Data Loss Prevention Suite). 3) Significnat revenue growth for the channel vs. 2006 4) Improvements in operational efficiency (increased sales & technical expertise at distributors, online pricing calculator, demonstration equipment and solution centers at distribution) 5) New incremental sales opportunities through EMC 6) Helping RSA SecurWorld channel partners become their customers' strategic trusted advisors vs. just a tactical fulfillment partner. |
| List up to 10 of your top products sold through the channel: | 1) RSA SecurID 2) RSA enVision 3) RSA Web Access Manager 4) RSA Card Manager 5) RSA Key Manager 6) RSA File Security Manager 7) RSA Data Loss Prevention Suite |
| Describe how your partner community has grown over the past year: | Our Americas partner community has grown from 533 partners in 2006 to 685 partners in 2007. There are over 2,500 partners selling RSA products globally. |
| Name the one individual who has had the most profound impact on your life: | My father. He taught me, by example, to build relationships around open communication, honesty and mutual respect. He was able to achieve a great level of success and satisfaction in his life by following this philosophy. I've set my goals, as a person and manager, to build these same type of relationships in both my management style and personal life. |
| Please name the single most innovative initiative for which you were responsible for the past year? | Transitioning from what was perceived as a One Product Company to a Solutions-oriented Company that provides additional service opportunities for our channel partners. |
| What were the key channel partner investments you made in the past year? | 1) Partner Enablement 2) Training both sales and technical engineers in the field for RSA enVision 3) Channel marketing 4) Data Security Solutions Bootcamp 5) Changes to partner program to reward both transactions on the front end and partner profitability on the back end. |
| How are you attracting the next generation of solution providers? | By becoming the established market leader for information-centric security solutions, coupled with a best-of-breed Partner Program to provide maximum partner profitability. Tactically, we are doing advertising, tradeshows and telemarketing to support recruitment activities. |
| What is the greatest challenge you overcame in the past year? | Integration with EMC and re-affirming with the channel community that the RSA/EMC acquisition was a great opportunity for us *and* for them! |
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