WINNER: Kaspersky Lab
Kaspersky Lab steamrolled its way to a Network Security Software victory in the 2011 Annual Report Card, getting top marks in each category in a clean sweep. Kaspersky's victory knocks last year's winner, Trend Micro, to second as partners praise the Moscow-based security rising star. From product innovation, support and partnership abilities, Kaspersky took each subcategory, along with all the criteria for an overall score of 92.0 compared to Trend Micro's 66.5.
The victory was no surprise to Pete Greco, vice president of sales and technology for Productive Corp., a Minneapolis-based security and solution provider. While having just added Kaspersky to its portfolio in January of this year, Greco said Productive is already seeing great results."It's one of our most rapidly growing partnerships ever," he said, at an average of 10 Kaspersky deals per month.
What sets Kaspersky apart, Greco said, is the constantly open line of communication. He said the idea sharing, cultivation and general communication keep partners informed and up to speed with the direction Kaspersky is heading.
And whether it's for tech support, sales support or any other support needs, someone is always available.
Gary Abad, Kaspersky's vice president of channel sales, said the company's consistent message coupled with its potential for profitability and ROI help partners do business, while promotions such as Kaspersky's Ferrari race team sponsorship, keep things fun.
"We are who we are and that's a 100 percent channel company," Abad said. "Obviously, you've got to have a strong product and you have to have strong support. Over the last year, we worked hard to focus our resources on managed partners who are really invested in Kaspersky."
Kaspersky Corporate Sales Senior Vice President Nancy Reynolds added: "Whether it's a renewal or services or a product, the partner is engaged."
Abad said Kaspersky will continue to push to form valuable partnerships and invest in partnerships that make sense.
"We're doing what we said we would do," Reynolds said. "Integrity matters."
