McAfee Programs To Simplify SMB Sales
The McAfee Security Perpetual Plus program is a perpetual licensing program targeting small and midsize businesses with at least 11 computers.
Under the new program, solution providers no longer need to renegotiate customer contracts each year. Instead, customers take ownership of their software licenses at a discounted rate and only have to renew their PrimeSupport Priority Plus, which provides unlimited 24x7 technical support, updates and upgrades.
The program also allows customers to add new users to existing licenses at the original discounted price. If a customer has a two-year license for 500 nodes, for example, and later decides to add 20 more users, the customer receives the original discount for each additional user, said Gary Brand, director of channel sales at Network Associates.
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Brand says partner feedback led McAfee to alter its licensing plan.
"The changes we are making to our licensing programs are the result of feedback from our partners who asked for more ease in doing business with us and a program that would make us more competitive with the rest of the players," Brand said.
Partners also asked the vendor to narrow the range of product SKUs to simplify sales to customers, he said.
Marc Malafronte, SMB sales manager at Software House International, Somerset, N.J., said he welcomes the changes as the solution provider gears up to do more business in the SMB space.
"This program will give [Network Associates] a chance to recapture a lot of the SMB market, which Symantec pretty much runs right now," Malafronte said. "For us, it will be much easier to explain fewer part numbers, and we will be able to offer them better support that's 24x7 vs. the old 12x5."
The McAfee Security Subscription Plus program is a two-year subscription license designed for enterprises with 2,000 or more computers. The program includes one year of PrimeSupport Priority Plus.