Trend Micro To Boost Partner Ranks

The company plans to recruit upwards of 2,000 new North American channel partners in 2006, part of its strategy to address the growing need for security among smaller businesses, said Nancy Reynolds, director of North American channel sales at Trend Micro, Tokyo.

The company currently has 3,200 partners in North America but plans to bulk up this year.

“We think we could easily have 5,000 [North American partners] this year,” Reynolds said.

Trend Micro is looking for partners across all market segments, but especially those selling to smaller and midsize customers, she said.

Eva Chen, CEO of Trend Micro, said the company has worked over the past two-plus years to simplify the low end of its product line to attract SMB-focused VARs and customers.

“SMB customers don’t have IT specialists,” Chen said. “The SMB market has strong demand, and it is an underserved market.”

The SMB market could be the new frontier for Trend Micro partners since many enterprise customers have already made their security vendor choices, said Michael McKinzie, president of security solution provider Securetek, Irvine Calif. “I believe the largest growth opportunity is in the SMB space,” he said.

Still, Reynolds conceded that attacking the SMB market and finding the right partners will be a challenge for Trend Micro. “It always sounds easier than it is,” she said.

The vendor plans to recruit partners that specialize in specific vertical markets, such as financial or health care, which typically require extra security due to increased compliance regulations. Trend Micro also will continue relationships with CDW and Dell to reach additional small-business customers, Reynolds said.

Some Trend Micro partners seemed unphased by the potential increase in competition from new partners. “It doesn’t matter to me how many channel partners they add, as long as I get the support I need, and I’m sure I will,” said Steven Palange, CEO of security solution provider TLIC Worldwide, Wakefield, R.I.

Palange added that, inevitably, some of the new partners will end up promoting the vendor’s products aggressively, and some won’t. “Just because they sign up doesn’t mean they will all be pushing Trend,” he said.

Separately, Trend Micro this week plans to launch its InterScan Web Security Appliance, a new security gateway that aims to protect against threats such as spyware, viruses and phishing.

The appliance, available in March, also supports other Trend Micro products, such as its Damage Cleanup Services and antispyware offerings. Pricing is $20,000 for 2,500 users and $30,000 for 5,000 users.