EDITOR’S QUESTION
How transparent McAfee
manages partner expectations
It really is business as usual
says David Small at McAfee.
A
s a globally trusted security
provider, describe the
ongoing regional market
opportunities for channel partners
and the partners’ programme.
A
s a standalone business, McAfee
is one of the world’s largest pure-
play cybersecurity firms. Built on
the belief that ‘Together is Power’, we will
expand upon our leading security solutions
platform to better enable customers
to effectively identify and orchestrate
responses to cyber threats.
The launch of McAfee marks the
closing of the previously announced
investment by TPG and Intel Corporation
(INTC) to establish a pure-play
cybersecurity company with access
to significant capital, operational and
technology resources. Additionally, we
announced that leading private equity
investment firm Thoma Bravo has joined,
as a minority investor in the company,
through an agreement with TPG. As
previously announced, Intel is retaining a
49 per cent equity stake in the new entity.
With the help of our new investment
partners, we will apply greater market
focus, build our platform and target new
financial, operational and technology
investments to better address the
cybersecurity market’s significant global
growth opportunity.
At our global partner summit last
November, we were very transparent
and laid out expectations for our channel
programme compliance all the way
through to 2018. As such, our partners
know what we expect from them for the
rest of this year in order to achieve specific
levels in 2018. So, while the move to
McAfee is extremely exciting for us, from
a partner perspective, nothing changes
and it really is business as usual. We will
continue to invest in our partners and
enable them across the solution set.
Also, as announced at the partner
conference last November, we will require
our partners in the highest tier (Platinum)
to add a service delivery specialisation.
This essentially means that these partners
will have the competence to implement our
solutions in much the same way as our own
professional services team would. ¢
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