Distributor Tech Data Canada expands its growing software-as-a-service lineup, adding security wares from McAfee to its SaaS linecard.
Manal Guirguis, director of product management at Tech Data Canada.
Tech Data Canada has added Intel Security’s McAfee security software offerings to its growing linecard of security software-as-a-service (SaaS) offerings available through the distributor.
Under the expansion of the existing deal between the distributor and the vendor, Tech Data will offer its resellers access to McAfee’s SaaS products in areas including e-mail, Web, and endpoint security, in addition to the traditional software licensing model.
“It strengthens our relationship with MCAfee, it expands and adds new reach to it, and it allows resellers to take McAfee into the SMB environment with very little up-front investment in a recurring revenues model,” said Manal Guirguis, director of product management at Tech Data Canada. “It’s a great opportunity for resellers, giving them that level of both recurring revenue and recurring engagement, another reason to keep in touch with their customers to understand what other providers and services they need in their ever-changing environments.”
The timing of the launch if fortuitous, as Guirguis described security as “a bright star” for Tech Data Canada and its reseller customers right now. She said Web security is leading the growth, with e-mail security a strong second, and endpoint security gathering momentum.
“With the refresh of hardware endpoints we see coming, it’s driving significant demand for endpoint security,” she said.
McAfee joins other security-centric vendors on Tech Data Canada’s growing SaaS linecard, including offerings from Microsoft, BitTitan, Symantec, Trend Micro, and Kaspersky. Guirguis said although the distributor has just started talking to its resellers about the new relationship, it already has “a number” of VARs signed up for the new program, and its priority will be on expanding that number, as well as educating and enabling solution providers around the new offerings. She said the distributor will use is Advanced Technology Solutions Center and a series of Webinars to support the launch and help build out the business.
Guirguis said solution providers will be able to purchase and provision McAfee SaaS offerings through the distributor, including scaling up and scaling down as customer needs change. At present, solution providers will have to call into to the company’s Software Licensing Desk or contact its McAfee product sales champion, Karyn Morris. But by the end of this year or early next year, Guirguis said the distributor plans to introduce a more self-service way for solution providers to purchase and provision McAfee and other SaaS offerings, in effect making the automation tools currently used internally at Tech Data Canada available to its solution provider customers.
