https://www.channelfutures.com/wp-content/themes/channelfutures_child/assets/images/logo/footer-new-logo.png
  • Home
  • Technologies
    • Back
    • SDN/SD-WAN
    • Cloud
    • RMM/PSA
    • Security
    • Telephony/UC/Collaboration
    • Cable
    • Mobility & Wireless
    • Fiber/Ethernet
    • Data Centers
    • Backup & Disaster Recovery
    • IoT
    • Desktop
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Analytics
  • Strategy
    • Back
    • Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Channel Research
    • Business Models
    • Distribution
    • Technology Services Brokerages
    • Sales & Marketing
    • Best Practices
    • Vertical Markets
    • Regulation & Compliance
    • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
  • MSP 501
    • Back
    • MSP 501 Information Center
    • 2021 MSP 501 Rankings
  • Intelligence
    • Back
    • Galleries
    • Podcasts
    • From the Industry
    • Reports/Digital Issues
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • Channel Futures TV
  • EMEA
  • Channel Chatter
    • Back
    • People on the Move
    • New/Changing Channel Programs
    • New Products & Services
    • Industry Honors
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Advisory Boards
    • Industry Organizations
    • Our Sponsors
    • Advertise
    • 2022 Editorial Calendar
  • Awards
    • Back
    • 2021 MSP 501
    • Circle of Excellence
    • DE&I 101
    • Top Gun 51
    • Channel Partners 101 (CP 101)
  • Events
    • Back
    • CP Conference & Expo
    • MSP Summit
    • Channel Partners Europe
    • Channel Partners Event Coverage
    • Webinars
    • Industry Events
  • About Us
  • DE&I
Channel Futures
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Technologies
    • Back
    • SDN/SD-WAN
    • Cloud
    • RMM/PSA
    • Security
    • Telephony/UC/Collaboration
    • Cable
    • Mobility & Wireless
    • Fiber/Ethernet
    • Data Centers
    • Backup & Disaster Recovery
    • IoT
    • Desktop
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Analytics
  • Strategy
    • Back
    • Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Channel Research
    • Business Models
    • Distribution
    • Technology Services Brokerages
    • Sales & Marketing
    • Best Practices
    • Vertical Markets
    • Regulation & Compliance
    • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
  • MSP 501
    • Back
    • MSP 501 Information Center
    • 2021 MSP 501 Rankings
  • Intelligence
    • Back
    • Galleries
    • Podcasts
    • From the Industry
    • Reports/Digital Issues
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • Channel Futures TV
  • EMEA
  • Channel Chatter
    • Back
    • People on the Move
    • New/Changing Channel Programs
    • New Products & Services
    • Industry Honors
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Advisory Boards
    • Industry Organizations
    • Our Sponsors
    • Advertise
    • 2022 Editorial Calendar
  • Awards
    • Back
    • 2021 MSP 501
    • Circle of Excellence
    • DE&I 101
    • Top Gun 51
    • Channel Partners 101 (CP 101)
  • Events
    • Back
    • CP Conference & Expo
    • MSP Summit
    • Channel Partners Europe
    • Channel Partners Event Coverage
    • Webinars
    • Industry Events
  • About Us
  • DE&I
    • Newsletter
  • REGISTER
  • MSPs
  • VARs / SIs
  • Agents
  • Cloud Service Providers
  • Channel Partners Events
 Channel Futures

Best Practices


Symantec Channel Chief: Simplicity, Consistency Goals

  • Written by Charlene OHanlon_2
  • May 22, 2012
John Eldh has been at the helm of Symantec’s Channel Sales for the Americas for just less than two months, but in that short time he’s gotten an earful of advice from Symantec (NASDAQ: SYMC) partners.

John Eldh has been at the helm of Symantec’s Channel Sales for the Americas for just less than two months, but in that short time he’s gotten an earful of advice from Symantec (NASDAQ: SYMC) partners.

“They (Symantec’s channel partners) want greater simplicity in doing business,” he said. “They also want us to ensure consistency, so our messaging is and will continue to be on that theme of consistency and how Symantec can help partners find new ways to differentiate themselves in the marketplace — ultimately helping them find more ways to drive sales and make more margin.”

That’s not too lofty a goal, given the fact Eldh picks up where former channel chief Randy Cochran left off — in 2008 he served as a calming voice to Symantec’s partners who were put out by comments Enrique Salem, then COO, made about the direct sales model. Then-channel chief Julie Parrish resigned and joined NetApp.

Symantec’s relationship with its channel partners since then has been steadily improving, thanks in large part to Cochran’s efforts to right the ship. In March 2012 it was announced Cochran was leaving Symantec to pursue other opportunities, and Eldh considers it his duty to continue what Cochran began.

“In my first 30 days or so I’ve spent a lot of time in the field engaging with partners to get clarity about our relationship — what they’re looking for and as much so from me as the leader of the Americas Channel,” he said. “It’s clear my role will be to be the advocate for the channel and be that bridge between channel community and Symantec. With the work Randy did we have strong meaningful relationships with partners, and as we look to the future, we want those relationships to continue to be strong. And that’s why I use the word ‘advocate’ to describe my role — we have ambitious growth goals and key to achieving those goals will be our partner community and maximizing those relationships.”

Eldh most recently was VP of sales for Symantec.cloud, the on-demand version of Symantec’s most popular security offerings and the components of which touch the channel, giving Eldh some insight into the machinations of the indirect sales model. And as the role of the traditional value-added reseller change thanks to new technologies and the march of progress, he hopes such insight will benefit Symantec and its partners both.

“I think we are in a period of a lot of change — the classic LAR/VAR (large-account reseller/value-added reseller) partners are looking for ways to deliver value themselves, and that [value] will be in services,” Eldh said. “The No. 1 demonstration of that for us was our move to a more partner-led services model to drive services opportunity with us. Now we are following up by trying to help partners take better advantage of cloud and SaaS services. And let’s not forget the whole MSP phenomenon, and we are working to ensure we are at the heart of our partners’ MSP plans.”

Nothing new, but still lofty goals. Eldh is riding the goodwill forged by Cochran, and so far he’s at least saying the right things. If he’s following the Cochran blueprint, chances are he’ll do the right things as well.

Tags: Agents Cloud Service Providers MSPs VARs/SIs Best Practices Leadership New/Changing Channel Programs

Most Recent


  • Strategy compass
    Zoom Vet Laura Padilla to Shape Airtable's Channel Strategy, Partner Program
    Airtable presents a "huge" opportunity for channel partners.
  • business questions
    To Pay or Not to Pay: Big Question When Hit with Ransomware
    This is likely the toughest decision a CISO has to make in their entire career.
  • You are partnering with your customers so develop a longterm relationship with them
    5 Things Vendors Aren’t Doing that Partners Wish They Were
    What are traits of a valuable vendor/partner relationship? We asked our roundtable partner participants to weigh in.
  • Cybersecurity crystal ball
    The Future of Cybersecurity: The Hybrid Workforce Is Up Against a Much Larger Threat Vector
    As cybercrime spikes along with higher work-from-home staff levels, companies need to step up security.

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your Channel Futures account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • Ransomware skull and crossbones
    JBS Did What it 'Needed to Do' with $11 Million Ransom Payment
  • Cloud Certification
    CompTIA Updates Cloud+ Certification, Drops New AI Guide for Businesses
  • White House
    White House to Private Sector SMEs: Get Serious About Cybersecurity
  • Stressed young people
    More Partner Pain Points: MSPs On Lack of End-to-End Security, 'New Normal'

Upcoming Events

View all

Channel Partners Europe

June 14, 2022 - June 15, 2022

MSP Summit

September 13, 2022 - September 16, 2022

Galleries

View all

Zoom Vet Laura Padilla to Shape Airtable’s Channel Strategy, Partner Program

May 23, 2022

To Pay or Not to Pay: Big Question When Hit with Ransomware

May 23, 2022

5 Things Vendors Aren’t Doing that Partners Wish They Were

May 23, 2022

Industry Perspectives

View all

How SD-WAN Helps Secure the Expanding Network Perimeter

May 19, 2022

A Sneak Peek at the 2022 BrightCloud Threat Report

May 17, 2022

Build Customers for Life with CX and Lifecycle Selling

May 16, 2022

Webinars

View all

Simplifying SaaS Security for MSPs

April 27, 2022

How to Supercharge The Network to Support Your IT Superhero Moves

May 3, 2022

The 2022 MSP Challenge: Scale Service Delivery Despite the Talent Gap

April 21, 2022

White Papers

View all

The New Bottom Line: How MSPs Can Meet the Healthcare Crisis While Evolving Their Businesses

April 19, 2022

How to build a Security Operations Center (on a budget)

April 4, 2022

The AT&T Cybersecurity Incident Response Toolkit

April 4, 2022

Channel Futures TV

View all

AT&T, Microsoft, Cisco, ThreatLocker on Unlocking Partner Potential

Agents Share ‘Secrets,’ Industry Opportunity

May 11, 2022

Vonage Addresses Potential Partner Opportunity via Acquisition by Ericsson

May 5, 2022

Lumen Technologies ‘Built for Growth and Scale’

May 4, 2022

Twitter

ChannelFutures

What are traits of a valuable vendor/partner relationship? We asked our roundtable partner participants to weigh in… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

May 23, 2022
ChannelFutures

.@Microsoft pres. @BradSmi on how the co. supports #Ukraine with $100M of free tech to fight #cyberattacks.… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

May 23, 2022
ChannelFutures

Step up #cybersecurity defenses for the #hybridworkplace, says @alignitadvisor. dlvr.it/SQw31K https://t.co/tMzKcNgwAw

May 23, 2022
ChannelFutures

#CPExpo cybersecurity roundtable: To pay or not to pay ransom. @Sophos @Fortinet @Netenrich @Trellix @whitehatsec… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

May 23, 2022
ChannelFutures

Analysts are sharply divided on the rumored acquisition talks. See what @royillsley from @OmdiaHQ had to say.… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

May 23, 2022
ChannelFutures

We are proud to recognize @UNESCO's World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, a day to celebra… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

May 21, 2022
ChannelFutures

.@barracuda seeing huge shift to managed services among partners at #discover22 dlvr.it/SQmR1y https://t.co/driODezzpS

May 20, 2022
ChannelFutures

.@ConvergeTSC has just announced the acquisition of PC Specialists (@TIGConnect). dlvr.it/SQmMqK https://t.co/suLrTFx1W1

May 20, 2022

MSSP Insider

Business advice for MSSPs and news from the broader security channel.

Newsletters and Updates

Sign up for The Channel Report, Channel Futures Update, MSP 501 Newsletter and more.

Live Channel Events

Get the latest information on the next industry-leading Channel Partners event.

Galleries

Educational slide shows and images from live events.

Media Kit And Advertising

Want to reach our audience? Access our media kit.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • Channel Partners Events
  • Telecoms.com
  • MSP 501
  • Black Hat
  • IoT World Today
  • Omdia

WORKING WITH US

  • Contact
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Newsletter

FOLLOW Channel Futures ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2022 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X