Radware Refines Partner Program

For the first time, the Mahwah, N.J.-based application switch vendor is segmenting its Channel Partnership Program across three technology categories: connectivity, security and application infrastructure. Partners must now receive technology-specific certification to represent those products, said Paul Fiore, vice president of channel management at Radware.

"Before, we certified them on the entire product line at once, which was a waste of time for some partners," Fiore said. "Some are completely security-centric VARs that may never touch the WAN or load-balancing appliances."

Radware is conducting assessments to determine the level at which current partners will be grandfathered into the new program. Fiore declined to disclose the number of partners but said Radware does about 90 percent of its business through the channel.

The program also adds a deal registration element for new opportunities with a list price of at least $20,000.

After a deal is verified at Radware headquarters and at the field level as new business that hasn't been registered by anyone else, the registering partner is eligible to receive standard partner program discounts, which start at 25 percent. All other partners would receive a 10 percent discount.

Kurt Loock, president of Data Processing Sciences, a solution provider based in Cincinnati, lauded the deal registration program for helping guard against margin erosion. "If we spend the time and investment trying to sell their products and create opportunities, we like to know we can win the business and have enough margin to make it worthwhile," Loock said.

Radware also is adding the Sales Engineer Shadow Program. As a final step in certification, Radware engineers accompany partners' newly trained post-sales engineers on up to five installations to ensure that they are field-ready.

Loock said the shadow program should help provide peace of mind that Radware's training programs are up to snuff and that his new engineers have been evaluated in "real battlefield conditions."