Symantec’s New Channel Strategy Charts Course for Successful Partner, Customer Transformation

By Symantec Guest Blog

At the annual North America Partner Engage event in November, we pulled back the curtain on Symantec’s new Global Channel Strategy and shared how the company is changing the way we go to market. Symantec has committed to delivering more than 5 percent organic revenue growth with operating margins better than 30 percent and can’t achieve this goal without the partner community. I’d like to take this opportunity to share more details about the new Global Channel Strategy and explain how it represents an important step forward in Symantec’s 4.0 journey.

But first, let me take a brief step back to provide some context around how Symantec got to this point. When Symantec’s CEO, Steve Bennett, joined the company over a year ago, he embarked on a global listening tour where partners, customers and employees voiced a need for Symantec to change. He learned that Symantec had great technology and great people but needed to do more to help customers solve their bigger jobs. In addition, structure, incentives and internal culture were hampering growth. And while Symantec has great point solutions, we also needed to develop new, integrated products that address important customer needs.

With that, we knew we had to completely revolutionize the way we do business and focus on delivering compelling, integrated, higher-value solutions that solve critical customer jobs better than anyone else. The changes to Symantec as a company are reflected within the channel organization—with the goal of making it easier for partners to do business with us, by building partnerships that are more rewarding and by exceeding customer expectations.

Here’s a look at the core components of Symantec’s Global Channel Strategy:

We are in the process of building the next-generation Symantec Partner Program that supports this new strategy. It will help drive partner growth and profitability, while at the same time offering incentives to keep partners focused in the areas of greatest opportunity. I can confidently say that Symantec is more committed to our partners and distributors than ever before and focused on helping partners solve customers’ most important jobs together.

The Partner Program will be rolled out in phases starting in 2014 and Symantec’s strategy will continue to evolve with the ever-changing market demands and business needs of our customers. The intent is to ensure that we are always investing in the right channels at the right time, while also helping partners to grow and sustain their business. The end results will be great for Symantec customers and will help to widen the addressable market for ourselves and partners.  Ultimately—together with our partners—we will make the world a safer place.

John Eldh is vice president, channel sales, Americas, Symantec. Monthly guest blogs such as this one are part of The VAR Guy’s annual platinum sponsorship.