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Amnon Bar-Lev says better days are just around the corner for Check Point Software Technologies partners.
Bar-Lev, vice president of field operations and technical services at Check Point, took the helm of the Israel-based security vendor's channel program in July after Kevin Maloney left for an executive position at Network General.
The top channel role will have its challenges, though, as Bar-Lev faces simmering discontent in Check Point's partner ranks.
Bar-Lev says he's aware that it hasn't been easy to do business with Check Point lately and says he is committed to improving channel relationships. To that end, Check Point has assigned sales reps to certain partners within their territory as part of an effort to focus more on specific areas as opposed to broad geographies, said Bar-Lev.
Partner reaction to this move has been positive.
"It's good that Check Point focused its sales because they'll be able to get partners to focus on putting a Check Point-centric plan in place and driving that," said Jeff Mullarkey, CEO of Chicago-based solution provider RKON. "This will increase the accountability of partners to commit to a plan and know their focus and grow their business."
Some partners also say the approval cycles and reimbursement for marketing programs have become complicated and time-consuming.
"It's been a moving target in terms of what's acceptable and what's not. Not only does it take too long to get things approved, the guidelines are pretty restrictive. It seems like every approval cycle is a one-off," said one solution provider who asked not to be named.
Check Point gives partners a generous budget for marketing programs, but it's always a one-off approval, said another source. "The problem with this is you can't plan in advance and map a schedule out. It's one negative aspect of a very positive channel program," the source said.
Bar-Lev says he's aware of the issue and recently solicited feedback from Check Point's North American partners to determine what changes need to be made, adding that something will be announced soon.
One improvement will come in the form of a well- defined service level agreement for both approvals and claims.
"With a well-defined SLA, Check Point will be able to build a system that allows partners to enter requests in a straightforward manner while also seeing the guidelines," Bar-Lev said.
"I like the idea of a predefined SLA—it puts everything on the table and holds people accountable," said Bill Calderwood, president of The Root Group, a Boulder, Colo.-based solution provider. "The fact that they recognize this as an issue and are willing to step up with an SLA makes Check Point unique in the marketplace."
Check Point's recent price hike for maintenance renewals is another area of concern for partners. Sources told CRN that Check Point's new program for simplifying renewals has actually resulted in higher costs for end users.
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