FireEye Updates Partner Program, Names New North America Channel Chief

FireEye updated its partner program to increase incentives and pave the way for the security vendor’s push into the midmarket, the company said Tuesday, while naming Chris Carter its new channel chief to lead the charge.

The updated FireEye Fuel program adds increased incentives, up to double previous incentives, through its Reward for Value program, as well as new programs to give partners access to FireEye-as-a-Service offerings and new threat intelligence programs from its recent iSight acquisition. The company also continues to enhance its Fuel Station online training portal as well as its Marketing Central marketing platform.

The updated program also builds in the partner structure for the company’s recent portfolio revamp, segmenting the FireEye Global Threat Management Platform into two new editions: Power for the enterprise market and Essentials for the midmarket. The two editions will still be under the same partner program, and FireEye is investing in channel account resources and incentives to promote the new midmarket line.

[Related: FireEye Acquires Threat-Intelligence Analyst iSight]

Chris Carter, previously senior director of worldwide distribution,was chosen to lead the company’s North American channel efforts as vice president of North American channels. Carter’s appointment comes just a few weeks after FireEye Vice President of Worldwide Channels and Alliances Steve Pataky left the vendor for a role at Dell Security.

With the appointment of Carter, FireEye is revamping to a more regional, as opposed to a worldwide, channel approach, the newly appointed executive told CRN. He will have counterparts in the EMEA and APAC regions, each of whom are now responsible for regional alignment of channel account managers, channel development, and projects and programs.

In an interview with CRN at the FireEye Momentum 2016 sales kickoff event in Las Vegas, Carter said the company’s new push into the midmarket with its Essentials edition presents a massive opportunity for partners under the new program. For that reason, Carter said his team will be largely focused on recruiting new partners, around 40 to 60, in the midmarket and providing them with ample incentives.

’FireEye has been primarily an enterprise solution because of price point and complexity. … We’re really excited about this [Essentials launch]. This is our first really channel product and I think it will make a huge difference in our channel’s success and it will also be a huge product from a revenue and billing perspective,’ Carter said.

Partners will be an ’integral part of our strategy’ as FireEye looks to scale in the midmarket, Carter said. Carter said there won’t be any direct push from FireEye in the midmarket space, as there has been historically in the enterprise market.

’It’s an evolution of the strategy. … We’re embracing the channel and moving more downmarket to help us scale the business,’ Carter said. ’I’m really excited about our new program changes. I’m really excited about our partner network and I think they are all going to do well with this Essentials product line,’ he said.

Allen Lerner, federal account manager at Hanover, Md.-based ClearShark, said the changes to the partner program and updates to the technology announced at the event help provide the ’air cover’ his business needs and reinforces why he decided to partner with FireEye.

’It’s been a really cool ride. … It’s really cool to see them put these things together,’ Lerner said. ’They really do take care of their channel.’

Nick Giampietro, sales director at Babylon, N.Y.-based G-Net Solutions, agreed, saying that he appreciated the investments the company has been making to support its resellers. In particular, he said investments such as Marketing Central help his business develop a more sophisticated sales process.