OpenService Formalizes Channel Program, Offers Tool Targeted at Auditors

Westborough, Mass.-based OpenService, which offers network security management software and real-time correlation solutions, next week is introducing the Open Partner Network (OPN), a tiered program targeted to security solution providers, OEMs and systems integrators, said Dan Murphy, vice president of business development for Open.

"This is a formalization of a program for the resellers we had before, plus an expansion," Murphy said. "We realized we had to enhance, enable and expand our program."

The program offers three tiers based on revenue attainment: Platinum, for those partners earning $601,000-plus annually in revenue related to Open's Security Threat Manager (STM); Gold, for those partners earning $351,000 to $600,000 annually in STM revenue; and Silver, for those earning up to $350,000 annually in STM revenue.

STM costs "in the low six-figure range," Murphy said, so partners can earn silver status with just a few sales of Open's product.

"The goal is realistic," added Phil Hollows, vice president of security products for Open. "The base level is 30 points that escalates for 37 [points] based on revenue attainment."

Included in the program are MDFs, product and sales training, pre-and field-sales support, account management and demo licenses.

"This is really designed to be a channel-friendly program," Murphy said. "We are open to doing business with the channel in a complimentary strategy, both indirect and direct."

Hollows said partners can work with Open through a referral relationship, whereby the partner would refer customers to the company and receive a referral fee of 20 percent of the net revenue of the sale.

Peter Venuta, vice president of Information Security Technology, a St. Paul, Minn.-based security solution provider, has been an informal Open partner for a year with positive results.

"They are constantly sending us leads, which is a very rare in the current business environment," Venuta said. "We've had very good experiences so far."

Formalizing its channel program will only serve to enhance their relationship, he said. "Before [with the informal program] as a VAR you wonder whether the company is going direct with your customers, but now with a formalized program we feel more comfortable sharing our customer information."

In tandem with the new channel program, Open next week plans to introduce STM/Surveyor, a version of STM designed for network security consultants and systems integrators.

"When we were looking at targets of opportunity, one group active in security but often neglected was security auditors and consultants," Hollows said. "We saw an opportunity for us to tailor our end user solution to an auditing product."

Using STM/Surveyor, auditors can analyze actual attacks and provide detailed threat reporting and assessment. Because it is vendor-agnostic, it can collect information from multiple security devices such as firewalls, intrusion detection systems and antivirus applications.

STM/Surveyor requires an annual license fee starting at $40,000. With each license, STM/Surveyor users are able to install the product at a customer site for up to 30 days per engagement and can use the product anywhere in the United States, Canada and Europe.