ISS Boosts Channel Perks

In April, ISS plans to launch an authorized training center program, which will allow partners to provide certified training to customers on ISS products, said Karen Paulson, ISS vice president of channel and partner management.

Addressing a sticking point for some of its partners, ISS also said it will allow them to resell second- and third-year maintenance contracts. Previously, partners could only resell those contracts at the initial sale.

Both moves are a way to provide more revenue opportunities for partners and are part of ISS' broader channel effort, Paulson said.

ISS said it has increased its budget by 600 percent over the past year to support partners but wouldn't disclose how much it spends on channel programs.

The vendor's efforts include offering dedicated channel marketing support, designating channel account managers in each of its sales districts, and adding distribution partners, the company said.

ISS "is putting its money where its mouth is to grow channel support," said Michael Volk, a former ISS employee, now vice president of sales at True North Solutions, McLean, Va., an ISS partner.

Terry Dickson, vice president of Houston-based Accudata Systems, said the shift from direct sales to a channel model can be tough for vendors. But "ISS has done an outstanding job with that," he said. "I don't know if it's just in our region, but we've had real good success [with ISS."

But Gary Fish, president and CEO of FishNet Security, Kansas City, Mo., said ISS hasn't changed its direct focus. "At the local level, we still find them in direct deals all the time," he said.

As for its channel efforts, Fish said, "They can talk about it all they want. That's all they've done for the past year. But they haven't rolled out anything to the channel."