ENTERPRISE TECHNOLOGY
cybersecurity skilled resources and do
not have a fully functional cybersecurity
department. Since security is no longer
an option for many small and medium
organisations, there is now an increasing
demand for the managed services delivery
model to meet their expectations.
Does getting into the regional managed
services business require a lot of investment
from a channel partner? Is there a high
entry barrier for a channel partner to get
associated with managed services delivery?
Dr Ali rejects this as a stumbling
block. Trend Micro follows a back-to-back
arrangement with a managed services
channel partner and collects from them
only when they collect. The initial software
is provided by Trend Micro as the vendor’s
investment into the partnership and is
inbuilt within the business model itself.
The business model for the managed
services partner has been uniquely set
up by Trend Micro in the region, to help
them to grow and lift up. The challenge for
the managed services partner is then left
focused around their ability and skills to
deliver the service.
“The question is not about the money.
The question is about how we cater to the
business model in terms of investment.
The business model for managed service
partners in Trend Micro is pretty unique,
such that it is a back-to-back business
model. It does not really require a lot of
upfront investment that comes from the
partner to be able to cater to something
like this, other than the point of expertise
to be able to meet the requirements. We
do not put pressure on them in terms of
fulfilling business justifications when they
themselves yet have not been able to do
this” elaborates Dr Ali.
Cloud service provider
There are other facilitators initiated by
Trend Micro that are helping the growth
and delivery of managed services. Trend
Micro provides cloud based licensing for
those end-users wishing to move away
from the on-premises based model.
“Globally we are pretty much aligned with
AWS and with Microsoft Azure on that.
So, both of these huge platforms have their
partners already. They are able to provide
these services and implement the solutions
on top of these platforms,” explains Dr Ali.
The AWS and Microsoft Azure certified
partners who are able to add Trend Micro
Deep Security solution on top of their
delivery platforms are included as Trend
Micro, Cloud Service Provider partners.
Trend Micro Deep Security works with
Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure,
Google Cloud Platform, VMware vCloud
Air, and IBM SoftLayer, as well as
with other public clouds that leverages
technologies like OpenStack or CloudStack.
“As part of our Cloud Service Provider
programmes we are also benefiting
these partners and we are also enabling
them to be part of our ecosystem. They
are extending security services as part
of the overall portfolio of services they
provide, through already existing AWS and
Microsoft security systems,” adds Dr Ali.
Globally tier-one distributors are also
moving towards including cloud based
security solutions inside their portfolio
The system
integrator is a
very integral
part in our
strategy. These
are our arms
and legs in the
country itself
in dealing with
customers
and working
with strategic
partnerships
that we have.
by playing the role of cloud solution
aggregators. Are the lower profit margins
an inhibitor for channel partners to move
towards this model? “The issue is not the
margin as much as what is the direction
of the market. The market is shifting
towards this direction. I see that in the
coming four, five years, cloud service
providers and cloud providers will be the
distributors,” reflects Dr Ali.
He believes, going forward there will be
a convergence of delivery models, which
justifies the investments being made by
distributors into these models. Trend
Micro supports all these active points of
channel engagement whether distributor,
cloud service provider, managed service
provider, or professional services.
System integrators
Another key channel partner inside
Saudi Arabia are the in-country system
integrators. Trend Micro is investing
in the development of local skills and
talent to fuel the growth of local system
integrators. By enabling the growth of local
system integrators, Dr Ali believes this
will come full-circle and add value to the
end-customer. “The system integrator is a
very integral part in our strategy. These are
our arms and legs in the country itself in
dealing with customers and working with
the strategic partnerships that we have.
As a technology provider it has always
been our direction to enable our channels
more, so they could be able to benefit our
customers with more value-added services
and offerings. This helps a lot in our vision
of improving the local market and investing
in the local market,” explains Dr Ali.
Another reason for the growing
importance of system integrators are
the expectations from end-users. Dr Ali
explains this further. “I do not want a
partner that is just moving boxes for me. I
want a partner that is giving me value for
what I am paying. I want a partner who is
investing with me and even strategising
my next steps. And this usually comes with
system implementation, especially good
ones that are able to push in the market.”
In order to boost the availability of skills
in the region, Trend Micro is investing in
17