Trend Micro: SaaS Security And Online Backup In One Service?
By the end of 2010 or by early 2011, Trend Micro plans to connect the dots between managed security services, online backup, cloud computing and SMB compliance solutions. The efforts will be channel-centric, empowering managed services providers (MPS) to promote SaaS-oriented business protection and continuity services to their end-customers, Trend Micro’s channel leaders tell MSPmentor. Here are the details.
As you may have heard, Trend Micro has hired Lenovo veteran Stephen Mungall as VP U.S. Channel Sales. I spoke with Mungall and Trend Micro VP of U.S. Marketing Dan Woodward this morning. Much of our conversation focused on Trend Micro’s continued investment in SaaS-, cloud- and virtualization-related solutions for channel partners serving the SMB space. The overall strategy is dubbed Trend 2.0.
Here Comes Online Backup
Dig a bit deeper into the strategy, and you’ll learn that Trend Micro plans to promote its recent Humyo acquisition across the IT channel. At first glance, Humyo is a consumer-centric online storage provider in Europe. But Woodward confirms Trend Micro’s strategy targets “the global market.”
During our chat Woodward said:
“There’s no doubt we see convergence around system recovery, backup, compliance and other data protection issues. Humyo has delivered a tremendous consumer experience. But we also see a strong play in the SMB market.”
Woodward predicts Trend Micro will connect the dots between storage, data protection and security for MSPs by late 2010 or early 2011. In the meantime, new U.S. Channel Chief Stephen Mungall plans to spend extensive time “listening to partners” to make sure Trend Micro is making the proper investments in channel support and education, so that MSPs can continue to pursue new recurring revenue and services opportunities.
Competitive Landscape
Trend Micro certainly faces fierce competition. In recent weeks, a range of security and storage companies have launched MSP- and service provider-centric pricing options for their channel partners. The efforts include:
- CA Technologies (formerly CA Inc.) recently launched MSP pricing for its ARCserve backup platform.
- Kaseya is plugging Kaspersky Lab’s security software into its managed services platform.
- McAfee in May 2010 launched a revamped partner program and continues to promote MSP licensing through its MX Logic offerings.
- N-able offers freemium endpoint security (based on Panda Security software) to its MSP partners.
- NetApp recently launched a service provider partner program to connect the dots between VARs and xSPs.
- Sophos recently introduced a managed services partner program.
Familiar Territory
Still, Trend Micro has an established track record with service provider licensing. True believers include Arlin Sorensen, founder of HTG Peer Groups. Sorensen’s own business leverages Trend Micro’s software to manage more than 1,000 secure customer endpoints.
TJ Alldridge, an SMB product manager at Trend Micro, describes the service provider licensing model in this MSPmentor FastChat Video:
Remaining Challenges
Of course, connecting the dots between the security market and online backup/business continuity isn’t easy. We’ll be watching to see how Trend Micro’s channel team connects the dots between Trend’s organic product lines and the recently acquired Humyo services.
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Backup and security are certainly complementary services that any managed service provider should have in their arsenal. But the problem with the Humyo acquisition is two-fold.
Humyo is a consumer product, and most likely is unsuitable for the needs of most MSPs, as we have seen with other consumer-based online backup operations. Two of the most common problems with these consumer-grade products are inadequate support and reporting tools.
Also, because Humyo is an acquisition, this move isn’t offering IT service providers anything particularly innovative or new. It’s like packaging two different licenses in one box, which isn’t quite the same as offering one complete solution.
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