Security vendor, ESET, has ditched its exclusive distribution model with Antivirus Australia after 14 years, opting to support its partner network directly.
The vendor, which formally opened its Sydney office in November, decided to part ways with its exclusive Australian distributor, Antivirus Australia, in February, but won't be appointing another exclusive distributor in its place.
ESET country manager, Florin Vasile, said its long term aim was to work with a small number of dedicated partners. ESET has about 300 partners on its books in Australia.
“We would like to focus on supporting value-add partners,” Vasile said. “When we parted ways with our distributor, we didn’t want to let anybody down, so we immediately stepped in and provided them with support and commitment.
“We are committed to our channel - the vendor office is here to provide technical, sales and marketing support, and lead generation.”
As part of ramping up its commitment to the market, the security vendor has launched a new partner program - Austar One.
It comprises four tiers Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum. There are already three distributors involved in the platinum levels included OCS, Microbe and InTechnology.
A partner can move through the tiers based on their sales revenue threshold and number of dedicated sales and technical staff.
“Based on their achievement criteria, we’ll give them extra MDF or margins,” he said.
Since opening its Sydney office, ESET Asia COO, Lukas Raska, said it has managed to double its market share in Australia.
“We offer the highest margins and have implemented a business renewal tracking system - offering our partners a piece of mind to help them focus on business development,” Raska said.
The security vendor is also on the cusp of releasing its new business line of products in Australian market, targeting small to large enterprises.
“The development of these business products were conducted with customers and partners globally,” Raska said. “It addresses the security needs they currently have and potentially in the future.”
