Changes At Symantec

Allyson Seelinger is stepping down Oct. 14 as Symantec&s channel chief just as the company starts to unveil changes to incorporate the Cupertino, Calif.-based company&s acquisition of Veritas Software.

Seelinger, an 18-year Symantec veteran, will be replaced by Julie Parrish, the former Veritas channel chief and vice president of enterprise, midmarket and channel marketing at Symantec.

Last week, Parrish unveiled some details of Symantec&s new program at MOCA&s Net@Work conference, including the immediate increase of Veritas deal registration rebates for solution providers to 10 percent. In addition, the program will include a combination of back-end and front-end rebates in the merged channel program, Parrish said.

Seelinger and Parrish have been working together since July to create a unified channel program.

Solution providers said they were looking forward to Symantec&s new channel program, but wonder how Seelinger&s departure will impact the company&s strategy.

Seelinger has been a familiar face at industry events and took great pains to see that her channel programs were beneficial to VARs, said Evan Leonard, president of Chips Computer Consulting in Lake Success, N.Y. “It&s always nice to have a vendor that is partner-centric,” Leonard said. “For [Seelinger] to be gone makes me wonder how the programs are going to proceed from here. We will definitely be keeping a close eye on how [Parrish] is going to proceed. We will be watching very closely.”

The new program was put together with three principles: maintaining business momentum, keeping the best of the legacy programs and protecting partners& previous investments, Parrish said. Symantec&s new channel program will include four levels—Platinum, Gold, Silver and Registered—that will be determined by revenue, certification and activities, she said.

“Both [Veritas and Symantec] felt the previous programs were weighted a little too much toward volume. Your ability to add value, work with us, build a customer reference database and satisfy customers will be rewarded for what your ultimate standing in the program is,” she said.

The Symantec-Veritas merger will bring improved channel benefits for both Symantec and Veritas partners, Parrish said. She cited two solution providers who recently closed large deals in former direct accounts for Veritas, including Kovarus, Emeryville, Calif., which completed a $6.7 million deal with a large financial institution.

“[Veritas] is more open to work with the channel than years past. Their management, with Symantec, pushed this [$6.7 million deal] to the channel,” said Patrick Cronin, principal at Kovarus.

Symantec fulfills 95 percent of its products through partners, and that will not decrease once Veritas is integrated into Symantec, Parrish said. About 50 percent of Veritas& revenue was derived through the channel prior to the merger.“The key message around the merge is this not about cost synergies. There are more people, more resources, investment than ever in the channel,” she said.