In many senses, channel partner programs are only as strong as their weakest links. With that tenet in mind, BlueCoat, a major provider of Web security and WAN optimization products, has announced an overhaul of its channel program that will reduce the number of partners involved, while also bringing an array of new services and investments to those that remain. Read on for details.

BlueCoat’s Channel Advantage Program, which is split into three tiers, is structured around two main partner characteristics: overall revenue generation and compliance with the expectations of the channel program. The program offers participating VARs, system integrators and distributors a variety of services relating to support, sales, marketing and more.

Partner Pruning

In the interest of shoring up its partner program and offering better services to the most active participants, BlueCoat is trimming 27 percent of its 2,400 current partners across the world. The cuts will focus on partners who have not met the revenue and compliance requirements for membership in the partner network.

But BlueCoat’s plans involve more than simply thinning ranks. It also will be investing significantly to bolster the value of the partner program for the participants who remain. These new initiatives center around six main areas, according to Eric Cross, BlueCoat’s VP of Field Operations for the Americas:

At the same time, BlueCoat will be making other, broader enhancements to its offerings and operations, Cross said. These include, among other efforts, a stronger investment in marketing for both BlueCoat and its partners, and upgrades to customer support services.

BlueCoat’s partner channel, and by extension the security ecosystem more generally, are thus set to change in significant ways. But as Cross was also keen to emphasize, the company will remain “100 percent channel-focused” even as it adopts a less-is-more strategy for revamping its channel program.