Total Defense Adds Managed Services Support For Cloud Security

The Islandia, N.Y.-based company's program will provide support services to partners selling and managing the company's cloud-based web, email and endpoint security products for their clients. Remote access to the client software will be available to MSPs for monitoring and management capabilities clients' networks, the company said.

Total Defense, which was spun off by CA Technologies in 2011, sells antivirus, antispam and web-filtering software to consumers, and small and midsize businesses in a crowded market for endpoint security software dominated by McAfee, Symantec, Trend Micro, Sophos and Kaspersky Lab. Security industry analysts say Total Defense has been focusing on web-enabling its suite to provide content and endpoint security from the cloud.

[Related: 10 Endpoint Security Technologies And Tips Proven To Deny Hackers ]

The company's strategy is to provide partners with a single cloud-based console and policy engine that can be rapidly deployed with no hardware to provision or manage. The newly established partner program provides sales and technical training, including 24/7 online and onsite pre-and post-sales technical support, the company said. Total Defense also offers MSPs the ability to white-label the cloud-based security management platform.

Total Defense partners told CRN that the cloud management capabilities have been helpful in providing remote access to diagnose their clients' systems. The company is following a line of endpoint security vendors that have developed remote management tools to help partners service small-business clients. Antivirus vendor AVG unveiled CloudCare to partners last year, targeting the sub-100 user market.

The Total Defense security suite has been gaining interest among small businesses that need a lightweight security suite to detect malware and block spam and messaging threats, said Peter Reibstein, managing partner at Foxboro, Mass.-based reseller Nubes Networks. Reibstein credits the company for providing good support and technical assistance when needed.

"Antivirus is a requirement of any business because there's always going to be a need for some level of security on the desktop," Reibstein told CRN.

Arthur Maas, CEO of Bellmore, N.Y.-based Bellmore Business Systems, said his firm partners with Kaspersky Lab and Total Defense to meet customer endpoint security requirements. Total Defense is a good choice for older machines that require an antivirus suite that is less taxing on system memory.

"We are the IT department for our clients and now we could connect to them through Total Defense, start a scan, monitor the results and get more information about the system we're working on," Maas said.

Total Defense has roughly 5,000 partners that sell both its consumer and business software. It made some subtle changes to its market strategy last year, unveiling a monthly package plan for resellers called Total Defense Unlimited. The changes gave resellers the ability to sell a subscription package with billing support provided by Total Defense.

PUBLISHED DEC. 12, 2013