Skybox Shoots For Channel With New Security Program

The Palo Alto, Calif.-based provider of risk management software is expected to launch today its Reseller and Implementation Partner Program and unveil a new version of its security risk management modeling software, which the company will sell only through the channel.

Yo Delmar, Skybox's vice president of business development, said indirect sales are key to the two-year-old company's growth in the security space. In addition to the channel program, the vendor plans to launch programs for integration partners and OEMs. "Of all our plans, the channel is most strategic to our success," Delmar said, noting that the program will kick off with 12 solution provider partners. "We want our resellers to be active participants in our development as a company," he said.

The new channel program will feature two tiers--a lower Approved level and a higher Premier level.

Approved partners will receive a 25 percent margin for selling at least $150,000 in products per quarter, while Premier partners will receive margins of 35 percent for $250,000 in sales.

Both levels of partners will receive technical support, co-marketing funds and a partner portal with a variety of marketing and sales materials, legal resources and other items.

Skybox's direct salespeople will also work with reseller partners, supporting them and providing them with leads.

Although this type of model sometimes can foster conflict between a company's salespeople and its resellers, Gordon Shevlin, executive vice president of solution provider Seigeworks, Dublin, Calif., said he expects the blended Skybox model to work just fine.

"The whole notion of modeling vulnerabilities and risks resonates really well with our customers," Shevlin said of Skybox's approach. "Participation in [the Skybox] channel really is going to be a boon for us."

Shevlin said he's also looking forward to peddling the newest version of Skybox's flagship product, the SkyboxView 1.5. The latest release adds open architecture to the company's risk analytics software, enabling resellers to combine it with a variety of other remediation and patch management solutions for a complete, value-added solution, according to the company.

The new software should be available by the end of the month. Pricing will vary by implementation and be based on the number of infrastructure nodes, the company said.