The enhancements include the addition of a new Platinum tier, and enhancements to deal registration and the NFR licensing system.
Dan Russell, Bitdefender’s Senior Director North American Channel Programs
Today, cybersecurity vendor Bitdefender is announcing major improvements to its Partner Advantage Network—Reselling Channel Partner Program and Managed Service Provider (MSP) Partner Program. The changes bring in a new Platinum tier, make it easier to get NFR licenses, simplify deal registration, and better define deliver sales, marketing, and operational support for partners.
“The idea of channel enhancement is very timely in the industry,” said Dan Russell, Bitdefender’s Senior Director North American Channel Programs. “They are just the tip of the iceberg for us, to get us where we want to go. They are complemented by some exciting first to market technology.”
Russell said that these changes were stimulated both by partner views and a desire to make sure that the program remains state of the art.
“It had been several years since we updated the program,” Russell noted. “We also took in partner feedback based on the recommendations of our partner advisory council, which consists of the top 10-12 partners in each region.”
Russell said that Bitdefender has introduced an exclusive Platinum partner level to recognize and retain its highest-performing resellers and MSPs. Partners in this tier gain priority access to benefits, dedicated support, and joint go-to-market opportunities.
“This is brand new for us,” he indicated. “In the past, we had three medallion levels. Before, there was a margins level which gives Platinum partners better opportunities and increased profitability. In addition to the ability to make more margin, they now have greater access to marketing funds, and quicker access to support.”
Russel said that Bitdefender put in parameters to define the Platinum tier.
“An important aspect is that they need to reach a certain revenue threshold,” he stated. “We also focus on new business as a percentage of the total, so that they aren’t simply making money off of renewals.”
Bitdefender had a NFR program before, but it has been significantly upgraded. to include MDR access for MSPs and to provide all partners with access to its full suite of security solutions, including XDR, for internal use and demonstration purposes.
“The old NFR program provided access to our portfolio, but it was more defined around software,” Russell said. “Now it provides MDR access as well. We also improved ease of use in getting NFR licenses from us. It was limited before by medallion level. We also expanded the ability to get as many licenses as possible.”
“The deal registration process for channel resellers has been simplified, with changes to the deal registration workflow to reduce administrative overhead and shorten sales cycles. The new system eliminates the requirement to input detailed product configurations at the time of registration and no longer requires re-approval if deal elements change.
“Partner feedback was the impetus behind this, Russell said. “We went back to the drawing board, and stripped out stuff we didn’t think was necessary. The idea was to make it simpler for partners to do this themselves. Now they just type in some details, and there is less information that they are required to fill out. It will save them time.”
Russell emphasized that while components of the Bitdefender Partner Advantage Network have been enhanced and changed, the program itself has not changed. It remains a program with distinct tracks for resellers and MSPs, and supports both product and service specialization, enabling partners to align with their core strengths.
“The program itself has not changed, although we are looking at making possible changes in the future,” he said. “While we have made changes to components like deal registration, the platform itself has stayed the same.”
The same criteria applies to sales, marketing, and operational support enhancements.
“Again, not a lot has changed around that,” Russell said. “It has just been better defined.”
Russell emphasized that for Platinum partners, this is all tied together by a full learning platform.
“Partners need certification in both sales and technology, so three sales people and three engineers,’ he said.
