Welcome to the midway point of 2016 -- the perfect time to check in with key industry influencers for their views on the IT channel, the economy and emerging trends for partners. In today's edition, we hear from Webroot VP of Worldwide Sales Charlie Tomeo.
Webroot works closely with a range of MSP software providers to provide channel partners with integrated security and automation tools. Here's the Mid-Year Check-in with Tomeo.
ChannelE2E: What is the most important business/IT trend you tracked during the first half of 2016, and what did it mean to Webroot?
Tomeo: The latest edition of the annual Webroot Threat Brief revealed that 97% of malware is unique to a specific endpoint, rendering static signature-database security virtually useless. The data collected by Webroot clearly shows that today’s threats are truly global and highly dynamic. Many attacks are staged, delivered, and terminated within a matter of hours, or even minutes, having harvested user credentials and other sensitive information. With the move to polymorphism as the norm and other malware trends, it is more apparent than ever that organizations need to upgrade their security postures with next-generation endpoint protection and real-time, highly accurate threat intelligence to protect themselves, their users, and their customers from cybercriminal activity.
ChannelE2E: How have Webroot's partners been evolving in the first half of 2016?
Tomeo: With significant increase in cybersecurity incidents over the last several years, MSPs and resellers have been reviewing their security efforts and implementing tools and solutions that help run business more efficiently and increase overall profitability. MSPs are adopting automation tools and other support apps that enable them to provide proactive service with limited manpower. They are incorporating cloud-based solutions that are easy to deploy and administer remotely and are scalable to keep up as client bases grow. Standardizing on a technology stack of solutions to efficiently service their clients is yielding more client uptime and productivity while increasing the ease of support.
ChannelE2E: Let's turn to Webroot itself. What was the most strategic product or service the company launched in recent months?
Tomeo: In February we released Webroot BrightCloud Threat Investigator. The powerful new threat investigation tool provides enterprises, MSPs, and MSSPs with instant access to actionable threat intelligence on individual IPs and URLS, and the ability to drill down into each object’s category, history, and related IPs or URLs for threat investigation and incident response. In the event of an ongoing cyber investigation, this saves precious time and enables security analysts or first responders to focus on the most critical issues right away.
ChannelE2E: What are Webroot's top priorities for the second half of 2016?
Tomeo: Our top three priorities are:
- Focus on helping MSPs provide more and deeper integration with RMM and PSA tools they use to provide proactive services with minimal manpower.
- Introduce a new security layer that will provide richer data and allow MSPs to generate more detailed threat and event reporting, personalized management reports, and personalized billing.
- Continue to provide a one-stop shop for MSPs looking to offer remote monitoring and management with a proven next-generation endpoint protection within a profitable and easy to deploy and manage solution.
ChannelE2E: What new steps, if any, are you taking to empower/train partners in the 2nd half of 2016?
Tomeo: We’ve seen quick adoption of the cloud-based Webroot approach, and continue to build out our offerings to provide competitive margins and recurring revenue for a cost-effective global management experience. We are launching a new on demand training curriculum, revamping our channel program and adding new lead generation tools to the Webroot Channel Edge Toolkit.
Mid-Year Check-In, delivered each July by ChannelE2E, shares the latest views and perspectives from IT channel thought leaders.
