Partner Summit kicking off with a video explaining “the power of three” theme of the event.

“The Power of 3 is Intel, McAfee and you,” the video explains.

And with that, Alex Thurber is out to get things going.

Thurber welcomes partners to the third-annual global Partner Summit here at Focus. “A lot of what we’re going to talk about today is evolution,” he says, including the evolution from a “partner day” at Focus to a “partner summit.” Thurber calls it the next step in McAfee’s efforts to become a channel-led company.

In 2009, about 250 partners attended. Today, 650 partners registered. “You represent more than a quarter of the entire community here at Focus,” Thurber tells partners.

It’s been a busy year — Intel deal closed, new chairman, new co-presidents, new sales chief, pus Sentrigo purchase, deal registration, the SMB Specialization, and the DeepSAFE strategy.

“Intel is just as focused on partners as we were, and now together, we are.”

The morning session will focus on top opportunities, namely network security, mobility and consumerization of IT, and content and cloud security.

Then, after lunch, Thurber says the focus will be on acceleration — including Intel software and services chief Rnee James, and the aforementioned new exeuctive suite — co-presidents Mike DeCesare and Todd Gebhart and Joe Sexton, EVP of global sales.

Thurber walking ppartners through a number of the programs beging discussed during receptions, includ cyber-security for kids. “And we’re giving away an iPad about every half-hour.”

Oh yes…. and a partner party tonight at TAO. Wristbands only, please… too many people crashing the party last year, Thurber says.

Tomorrow’s keynotes start at 10am, Thurber says to applause, because of the party at TAO.

Thurber brings out his regional counterparts — Americas channel chief Fernando Quintero, EMA chief David Small, and APAC channel chief Gavin Struthers.

The power of three. Three local channel chiefs hosting the event. See what they did there?

TGerg Brown, VP of product marketing for network security takes the stage.

Greg Brown, that is.

Brown detailing how even dealers in Las Vegas recognize the need for security on their networks. In this case, for slot machines or video poker.

Brown detailing transitions in network security over the last five years, the diminishing number of targets for a specific attack, headed towards 1 with specific target on advanced persistent threats.

At the same time, the value of a single attack has increased greatly. “It’s a multi-billion dollar inustry.” Brown says that means the need for threat prevention, even when there’s a single target for a given attack.

That’s leading to “next generation” technologies, firewall going from $1 billion to $2.5 billion, while IPS going from $1 billion to $2 billion, although Brown says there’s  $1.4 billion ecosystem around it that’s being enabled.

Walking partners through the details of a theoretical attack, using social engineering, targeting with the corporate network, and a delayed attack, each using different techniques. Net result — from a bogus free WiFi service at the cafe across the street to a compromised database.

Five years ago, this would have cost $100,000 to author this kind of attack, Brown says. Today, $2,500 for purchase online.

“The idea was find it and block it, but we’re seeing an evolution.” Need to understand what’s actually happening in the environment. 

The new process — detect it, find the root cause of the problem, characterize the full scope of the attack (including the deployed command and control infrastructure underneath) and then prevent it.

Getting into Global Threat Intelligence, and how it doesn’t require packet captures of a given attack — “We can understand what the attacks going to look like because we understand the source code, we understand the tools that made it, and we understand the environment it’s going into.”

Detailig some recent GTI successes — 425-day advanced protection on Liza Moon SQP injection, first to recognize and stop Aurora, caught South Korean DDoS from BotNet 35 days in advance, and caught Conficker 700 days in advance through a protocol anomoly noticed on the network.

Brown detailing integration with virtualization, especially importnat when all partners in the room are dealing with virtualization. Same kind of scanning and analysis, the ability to wrap a virtual server in a security policy.  “There’s no change in the way you think about securing, managing and attaining compliance whether it’s physical or virtual.”

Calls for partners’ help in getting the word out that it’s possible to automate security workflows, get it all working together with the Network Security Framework.

“We’ve built a set of tools that go all the way from engaging McAfee to closing deals,” Brown says, highlighting the McAfee ACE program, a certification to create partner experts across product areas — people who can go on-site, do proof-of-concept and improve solutions.

A new campaign around next-generation data centre – a $400 million partner margin opportunity inside a $24 billion infrastructure opportunity on an annual basis.

The opportunity, Brown says, is in unifying security management across physical and virtual data centre portions using the same security model.

Brown wraps up with his own power of three — Next-Gen Firewall, Next-Gen IPS and Next-Gen Data Centre.

Up next, Brian Foster, SVP of worldwide product management, to talk about mobile devices and mobile apps.

Talking about consumerization at a macro level: “Why do I feel so powerful at home, but when I go into the office, it’s s chore to connect to the people down the hall?”

“IT is losing control of an endpoint, and that ability to build trust through that control. So they’re putting more security on the network to protect their organization there.”

Foster talking about contextual security, the notion of leveraging more information about an individual’s transactions with the network, regardless of device used to access the network. Need to understand the user if you don’t have contorl of the endpoint.

Mobility brings with it risk – lost devices, devices not locked. “There’s a disconnect in policy between what IT chooses and the end user chooses,” which is a challenge when a personal device is used to access corporate assets.

Talking about the ongoing debate over when, exactly, mobile malware will become a real challenge. “We’re not at the scale that the Windows platform is at, but we’re starting to see attacks that can do what the attackers want to do,” particularly data theft and particularly on Android.

Android has been easier to attack becuase iOS is so locked down by Apple. “It’s almost the wild wild west out there,” Foster says, detailing some of the apps uploaded to the Google app stores that have included backdoors. “The biggest question is whether your customers’ Android devices are going to be a target for attackers.”

Showing off a number of attacks on Andoird, BB, WinMobile, Symbian and iOS. On Andoird, it’s apps on Android Market. BB/WM/Symbian – Zeus kits – and iOS it’s the Jailbreak PDF flaw. 

“We don’t think organizations need a mobile security strategy separate to their seucrity strategy for other devices,” Foster said. It’s not just virus-scan on the mobile phone, it goes back to network protection. “It’s forcing more compitng to be done in the data centre.”

Foster: Biggest opportunity right now is Enterprise Mobility Manager, which is on its way to version 10 early next year, introducing secure containers for Android.

Foster says to expect to see further integration with enterprise mobility management across McAfee, most notably to ePolicy Orchestrator. “This continues our strategy of treating mobile endpoints just like you would any other endpoint.”

Moving on to talk about DeepSAFE, the Intel/McAfee security strategy.

“We don’t want to rely on the operating system to protect the operating system as well,” Foster says of the benefits of DeepSAFE — security “lower in the stack” than the operating system, at the hardware level.

Marc Olesen’s topic: “Together building a secure bridge to the cloud.” “Whether we like it or not, we’re on a journey to the cloud,” he asserts.

“The challenge for us as a company and as a community, is using the cloud safely and securely.” It’s both friend and enemy, “and that’s what we have to reconcile.

Again, in the cloud, context and identity are key to security, since again, the endpoint is either unknown or irrelevant.

Cloud transparency is a big challenge — customers want more transparency into their cloud provider, “but the cloud is kind of like this black box that we can’t see into.”

84 per cent of businesses using at least one cloud service — but according to Everything Channel study, only 32 per cent of channel parnters offering cloud-based solutions. “There’s the delta. There’s the opportunity,” Olesen says.

“In virtually every study, security comes up as the main objection to the cloud,” Olesen asserts.

Today, cloud providers are going through an annual security certification — ISO 27001 and the like. “But what’s happening the other 364-plus days of the year?” McAfee’s solution is Cloud Secure, which offers daily validation of the cloud. “This not the be all and end all, but this is a good start,” Olesen says.

Olesen says that today, McAfee/Intel is the only provider that can protect all major cloud traffic (Web, mail and authentication) with a single platform.

Cloud Secure can be delivered either on premise or in the cloud — Olesen says it’s an important distinction that it protects the cloud and is not (necessarily) cloud-based protection, although it supports on-prem, cloud and hybrid deployment depending on customer needs.

“We’re really going to be oriented around following the data. We believe it’s all about the data, following it and protecting it wherever it goes,” Olesen says.

Olesen recommends partners get into cloud aggregation business. And do so with security at the top of the agenda to provide differentiation.

“Customers are looking for guidance. They’re looking for you to take them by the hand and lead them to the cloud,” Olesen says.

And with that, Olesen wraps up, bringing the three regional channel chiefs back on stage.

Things are wrapping up a little early, it would appear. Quintero talking about the need for channel partners to stay ahead of the curve.

We’re going to take a lunch beak, and we’ll be back to cover the afternoon keynotes here from McAfee Partner Summit at about 1:00 PM  Pacific, 4:00 PM Eastern.

Good afternoon. Just settling in for the afternoon keynotes, including Renee James, who heads up the Intel group into which McAfee fits, as well as McAfee’s new co-presidents.

Getting things started with the return of Rhythm Nation for a little perscussive entertainment.

Alex Thurber out, detailing a $25,000 promo through McAfee Awards… very effectively, with an armed guard and $25,000 on a table.

And with that, Thurber hands it over to Renee James, SVP of the Software and Services group at Intel.

On the agenda: Where computing is going, and why Intel purchased McAfee.

Almost 35 per cent of Intel’s business throught he channel. “The channel is critical to McAfee and it’s critical to Intel. And I’m here to tell you why.”

Number of computing devices already exploding, and set to continue to do so with computers in cars, etc., James said. “Our viewpoint is that computing is everywhere.” Goal is to make a better and more secure experience for the end user.

“We’re seeing more attacks coming back into the network and into other parts of the cloud,” James says. “One of the big pieces of architectural issue we’ve been working on is how to deal with these problems.” For more than a decade, Intel’s been shipping technology that can help deal with rootkits.

24 billions connected devices, 7 billion people, 3 to 4 devices per person means a great deal of threat and opportunity for both of us. 

Number one request for Intel channel partners (pre-McAfee purchase) was security, James says. “Security was one of the only features that consumers, enterprise CIOs, and customers across the board including embedded, were willing to pay more for.” Throughout the entire recessions, one of the few areas to keep growing.

Intel knew it needed to tackle security becuase it felt a lack of integrated security could slow down the growth of computing. “McAfee was the best-positioned company at the platform level, at the cloud level, and with their investment in mobile, to help us reinvent security.”

“One of the reasons we hadn’t been successful in nearly a decade of trying [to deal with security], was because we realized that security had to be a combination of hardware and software,” James says.

“Hard problems are in our DNA,” James says, dating back to the development of DRAM, microprocessors and more back in the 1970s. “We are inventors.”

“The next big thing, the next pillar on the horizon for us is security. It’s no longer sufficient to protect the data on a PC. The next requirement is profecting the PC on a continously-connected device.”

James says she’s most often asked what Intel is going to do with McAfee. “And the answer is — nothing!” She’s going to let them continue to be standalone, with their own leadership, growing their business their own way. “What we”re able to do is work with the technology team and the architecture to take it where we think the future of security is going to go.”

Which brings us to DeepSafe — connecting security software into the security hooks which have long been in Intel hardware. “We are very excited about the capabilities of the first products … even the first products are a pretty big advancement, in terms of security, than what we’ve been trying to do for a long time.”

“You should not see disruptions to your relationships. We intend to keep things as stable as possible with the people you know and love supporting you going forward.”

“Our growth in new markets has largely come fromt he channel. The channel is always more interested in adopting new technologies than many of our large customers. The value added by our partners is what helps them feel like someone’s there, and we treet our partnrs like they’re part of Intel.”

“The more you invest in a channel, the better return for both the company and for channel partners,” James says.

Detailing how Intel broke into the Chinese market through the channel, building partner PC stores and marketing in familiar ways. “We became the number one technology brand in China through the channel.”

“Security companeis are facing fundamental technological challenges. Mobile security is not like PC security. The cloud is complicated and hart to manage.”

James: “Our commitment is to continue to grow this company, continue to grow through acquisition, have tigther integration where it makes sense, and invest in the programs they had already been developing. That is a very different way doing M&A. I know it.”

And with that, James cedes the stage to Thurber, who’s talking about life inside of Intel and the opportunity together.

And handing it over to the next three speakers — McAfee’s co-presidents Todd Gebhart and Mike DeCesare, and global sales chief Joe Sexton.

Up first, Gebhart on the subject of the future of security.

Gebhart says there’s “a tremendous opportunity to grow our business together,” even in uncertain economic times.

“We can shape the future of security,” he says, adding that parnters have seen the same challenges McAfee has seen — lack of governance modelsa and more threats.

‘Imagine a world where entire classes of attacks are eliminated, like buffer overflows,” Gebhart says. “Intel and McAffee have realized the vision to change the world as we know it.”

Gebhart says “McAfee is leapfrogging competitors” in hardware-assisted security software since the Intel purchase.

The overall strategy is cloud, network and endpoint security all working together. — Security Connected.

Gebhart touching on DeepSafe — “For the first time, security software can sit below the OS, giving us a whole new level of visibility into the threats that are taking place, and giving us the ability to hide from the bad guys so they don’t know what we’re doing. This is revolutionary, not evolutionary.”

Gebhart says McAfee began going down this road for DeepSafe with Intel more than two years ago. First products will be introduced tomorrow, “but they won’t even let me tell you the name here today.”

Thurber taking a few seconds to answer questions from partners in attendance.

Or at least trying to…. there seems to be a lack of questions. So Thurber’s asking his own quetions.

Ha! Question from a customer “who just sneaked in here” about where identity/authentication fits into the strategy.

Thurber says it’s something to address “at the chip level or right above that.”

Thurber says he won’t speculate on future product lines, “but it would make a lot of sense for us to continue to expand.”

Thurber says he’ll always be honest with his partners, and he’s doing that now — he admits he’s filling time, including a joke about Siri on the new iPhone. But alas, DeCesare is almost ready to go.

DeCesare out to discuss “the journey to partner-led.”

“We always try to think channel first,” says DeCesare.

“We were the world’s largest 100-per cent security focused company before we joined forces with Intel,” DeCesare says.

“One of the missions we’re going through right now is how to get closer to partners,” he says — try to make sure that rules of engagement make sense for all involved and profitability for partners is there.

DeCesare says McAfee will be transparent in the enterprise, that it will often lead there with direct sales, although will work with partners. In SMB, all channel. And in commercial, somewhere in between those models.

Five priorirites for DeCesare — 1: Increased profitability through better deal registration, clear rules of engagement, and “incumbency advantage” for accounts with parnters already in it. Should all be covered by a teaming plan.

2 — Technical enablement, including the ACE program — get our SEs out of that part of the sales cycle and leverage your technical expertise. Partners who do pre-sales get better profitability out of it.

3 — Invest in partners that invest in McAfee. Urges cross-selling. “Our value proposition, security connected, relies on you” because it stresses the “better together” nature of solutions. “We think you’ll see security go through a fairly radical consolidation across the next few years,” he says. Partners not cross-selling put Mcafee in the position of having to find partners for new parts, by embracing cross selling “you put us in the position to stay loyal to you.”

4 — Channel collaboration — more clear lines of demarkation of who has responsibility for accounts.

5 — Marketing leads — Both partners and McAfee suggest that 100 per cent of their business comes from leads THEY developed. There needs to be a consistent and reliable dashboard to manage leads coming from both sides.

After taking a few questions, DeCesare hands it back over to Thurber, who in turn throws it to global sales chief Joe Sexton.

Sexton’s agenda: the 2011 (perhaps that should be 2012?) call-to-action for partners.

McAfee is one of the mose attacked sites in the world, Sexton says — McAfee decided to use it as a test for its own integrated solutions. In doing so, took the “patch panic” around Patch Tuesday from once a month to once a quarter.

“Every one of the biggest attacks could have been stop if you had readily-available products,” backed up with the right processes.

Today’s Partner Summit is about the same size as the first Focus event, Sexton says.

Sexton talking about competitive landscape and bringing it to “trickledown economics” — win over top accounts, and that growth will carry over.

In Canada — Sexton says 140,800 nodes displaced from Symantec.

“We’ve won the mountaintop. Now it’s time to take that down,” Sexton stells partners.

Mobility has put security professionals in a position where they have to say yes, instead of traditional stance of saying no by default. Sexton says compliance is the next opportunity.

Sexton wants parnters focused on IPS — calls it rock-solid and depandable, bring in vulnerability management and endpoint. “Network security is one of those gifts that keep on giving — once you’re into a customer’s network, you grow with them.”

Also pointing partners towards whitelisting with McAfee Application Control. “It’s 100 per cent effective against stopping malware. It’s a very interesting technology and you’ll see us move more and more in that direction.”

Sexton urges partners to get customers to active Global Threat Intelligence. “Get every customer to turn this on. The window of exposure goes down tremendously.”

And finally, Sexton focuses on what he calls situational awareness. “What we’re looking at is accelerating getting things to work closer together,” the upcoming acquisition of Nitro Security will fit in large here. “Stay tuned,” he urges, saying it was a big gap in McAfee’s coverage.

Again, touching on the two new DeepSafe products to be announced tomorrow — one of which will integrate Intel’s onboard security with ePO, and the other will “take security applications and move it closer to the chipset, underneath the operating system.”

And with that, he hands it back over to Thurber to wrap things up and sum things up. We’re going to end our coverage there — but look for much more from McAfee Partner Summit and Focus 11 today, Tuesday and Wednesday here on ChannelBuzz.ca.

Thatnks for joining us for this liveblog!