Symantec undergoes transformation

Intro: With redefining its channel strategies, Symantec is undergoing an important transformation with a more customer and partner centric approach. In a conversation with Amitabh Jacob, Director Channel, Symantec India – itVARnews finds out how company is focusing on solving customers’ critical problems through their restructured partner program and how recent changes of streamlining the management are in line with this transformation. Excerpts from the interview..

How do you look at the enterprise channel community?

Symantec is a partner-led company and almost 90 percent of our business in India is partner-led. We see tremendous value in investing in our most committed, capable partners to drive deeper relationships with customers that will help them address information security challenges and complexities in the cloud, data center and mobility areas. This will not just help them grow and sustain their business but also enable our customers to derive better results along with the widened business opportunity for us as well as for our partners. Ultimately – together with our partners – we will make businesses in India more protected and secure.

What was the reason for redesigning the Symantec Partner Program?

We want our partners in India to grow and evolve with us.  With the new partner program we aim to reward and recognize our partners based on their capabilities, performance and delivery of customer satisfaction. We are a channel focus company and close to 90% of our business in India is through channel partners which is a very heavy strategic. The channel and distribution eco system will continue to play a critical role in our acceleration that is going to happen.

Our objective is to sustain profitable growth which is greater than the market for Symantec and channel partners and this we do by leveraging the joint assets between both of us to deliver true value to the customers. It has become the start point of designing this whole program and to deliver value to the customer, based on trends and challenges that are doing the rounds.

Please throw light on your redesigned Symantec Partner Program?

As far as customers are concerned they are looking at us to address these challenges holistically. It’s not just about specific issue or a point issue that they have which is point in time or relevant to may be a part of business but really looking at problems in much more holistic manner and we call that solving bigger problems for the customers. We have taken two flavours of solving those issues:

First one is only through a Symantec stand point which is looking at what we are offering from a technology stand point, solutions that we bring on table so there has been a lot of change in terms of improvement over the last couple of years and as we go forward we keep launching few new exciting things as well.

The other part we are working with the right partners to take those solutions to the market and for a company like us partners’ statement is very important for us because there’s an element of capability and competency that has to be built in.

We have made few changes in the program as we realize that we use to work with all kinds of partners across the globe and when we deep dive we found out that we work with 40 different types of partners which is a very large list. So, the first exercise that we do was starting grouping this so we group them into 9 separate channel groups. We had distributors, solution providers, resellers, so we divided all the partners across these 9 groups and again within these 9 groups we further segregate into 6 business models based on the work that they do. So there’s a business model called client reselling or resell, there’s a business model called integrate, manage, distribute, build and influence and so forth.

In may 2014 we have launched resell, integrate and manage as part of the new program and the other models will launch progressively as we move forward.

On which criteria do you select your partner?

Partner recruitment is done through online and goes into approval which is checks and balance kind of process. We essentially look at two things in that process. One is about the history of the partner in terms of standing in the industry of what they want to do and second is in terms of actual role. We look at do they have a registered company, do they have registered domain etc. We also look at what they really want to do with us.

We have a team that talks with them before the application is processed.

Are the incentives differs from partner to partner?

One of the benefits is based on performance target. The performance targets are different depending on the partner. We look at different parameters in computing the target including the historical revenue as well. In historical revenue we look at market opportunity.

What are the vertical you target with solutions?

We have certain solutions which are for larger enterprise, commercial and SMBs which are relevant across. If you look at whole compliance part of it certain vertical will have more compliance drivers such as BFSI, Pharma, Government, Telcos. For them compliance may be very different from the way it is for commercial customer.

If you look at high growth segments, we are more focus on around those verticals which have market data.

Where is the growth likely to come from?

Verticals and customer segment are definitely the one where we see growth. The second area of growth we looking at is the commercial expansion. We are looking at growth coming from geo expansion. The third area of growth we are looking at from specific products and solutions.

 Do you mean Symantec is better placed than the competition today?

Through our wide range of products and services portfolio and point solutions, we have a clear advantage. We have significant competitive advantages with market-leading expertise in information security and management backed by years of innovation focus and industry leading global intelligence network and solutions. As a result today, 99 percent of Fortune 500 companies are Symantec customers. We are building one of the world’s most trusted product and services portfolios, through leading point solutions, new integrated offerings, and third-party partnerships that solve our customers’ biggest challenges better than anyone else. We have recently announced an entirely new approach to advanced threat protection (ATP), unveiling a roadmap of integrated solutions that demonstrates the security innovation power that only it can deliver to help customers solve their most complex problems.

What is the overall GTM for your extensive portfolio of security offerings?

Our go-to-market strategy has always been significantly driven by the proposition that our product portfolio offers.

With redesigned partner program launched recently and our strong consulting services help organizations manage IT risk, control costs, and maximize IT performance solve the most complex challenges for our customers making Symantec a clear differentiator in this space.

We wish to drive success by collaborating closely with our partners and aligning our business objectives, by enabling them with 12 competencies required which will enable the partners to solve customers’ information security challenges for enterprises, small businesses and consumers.

Recently there has been quite many changes in Top management in Symantec, has it affected your business?

We are undergoing an important transformation as a company today and taking a more customer and partner centric approach than ever before. Our strategy is focused on being better at solving our customers’ most critical problems and being easy to do business with. Recent changes to streamline the management are in line with this transformation, so that we can respond quickly to market changes and customer needs.

We continue to maintain a strong commitment to India with it being carved as a region in APJ and senior leaders like Sanjay Rohatgi leading our growth. With recent key hires, our leadership team in India is capable of fast-tracking our development and help execute the next phase of the company’s transformation plan.