Sophos, a provider of network and endpoint security, has introduced a new partner programme that it says enhances the capabilities of managed service providers (MSPs) by simplifying the complexities of managing multiple security solutions.
According to Sophos, MSPs are now able to access the Sophos Central partner portal to access the cloud-based partner dashboard from where they can manage all of a customer's Sophos offerings as well as integrate with third-party professional services automation software.
MSPs benefit from aggregate licensing models, and with Sophos they will also benefit from more effective synchronised security, says Scott Barlow, vice president, global MSP at Sophos.
Today, MSPs are expected to protect their customers against the rapid growth of sophisticated cyber attacks from wherever they could enter a network, says Barlow.
This means managing endpoint, server, network, Web and e-mail security products across multiple platforms and increasingly on employees' mobile devices, he adds. The mix of traditional and next-generation technology available from multiple vendors has placed additional administrative burdens and extra costs on MSPs.
According to Everest Group research, the global MSP market is witnessing fundamental changes that are altering the dynamics of the market. MSP buyers are now looking for additional strategic gains from their MSP programs, it adds.
As part of the new programme and Sophos channel business strategy, the company offers MSPs sales consulting training and certification, co-branded marketing assets, support and Sophos Central dashboard training to help build the skills and expertise of its partners, it says.
According to the Sophos report, technological advancements, in terms of hardware, software, and user needs, have altered the workflow and landscape from the previous generation of MSPs.
Security has become all the more complex, and the knowledge base MSPs must have at their disposal has become also more complicated, as businesses turn to the cloud and Web-based resources to manage their products, it notes.
Organisations are no longer tied to one machine, one server, one location, and the corresponding IT security needs of those have increased, says Sophos.
MSPs must now have the capability to protect not just desktop computers, but laptops moving from location to location, easily portable tablets, and smartphones capable of handling the workload once limited to a desktop machine, it adds.
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