News Feature | April 7, 2016

AVG Strengthens Channel Via Partner-focused Strategy

The Trusted Advisor

New product enhancements, partners, and certification program will fuel 2016 growth.

Online security company AVG Technologies announced key drivers to accelerate value for AVG channel partners and support small and medium business customers' security needs. General Manager Fred Gerritse has implemented a number of new initiatives for channel partners, and has optimized its AVG Business portfolio with new cloud security updates, added channel partners to enhance its partner ecosystem, and will be launching a partner certification program. Key AVG Antivirus 2016 features will also be integrated with AVG CloudCare for advanced endpoint security protection.

Taking a partner-centric approach can result in high returns in the channel, as Suzanne Davis, Director, Reseller Channel, Harbortouch, explained. And Kenneth Hune Petersen, CSMO, Milestone Systems, wrote, “Great products do not sell themselves, nor evolve automatically into offerings with better coverage of market demands. A software producer needs distributors and system integrators, marketers need products they can believe in, and operational experts need innovators or networkers. In short — partners.”

“We are transforming our AVG channel program to increase channel partner value,” said Fred Gerritse, GM, AVG Business. “Our partners need to effectively respond to their business customers' security needs, while continuing to grow their own operations. We are putting new initiatives in place that will address these needs and help enable partners to become more experienced in AVG business security solutions and to work more simply and efficiently with us in the process.”

Among the new initiatives are:

  • optimized product roadmap — first out of the gate: new antivirus and policy setting enhancements for our cloud security platform, AVG CloudCare
  • new partner certification program — phased, systematic approach to product and technical training, incentive-based
  • partner ecosystem — new partners this year (CMS Distribution joined our network to drive our distribution model in the UK; North America and UK partners added)

The Partner Certification Program and AVG CloudCare enhancements will be available in April. For more information, click here.