The Channel plays an instrumental  role in Check Point's success in India

Manish Alshi
Senior Director, Channels & Alliances, India & SAARC, Check Point Software Technologies

The introduction of innovative solutions such as Check Point Infinity platform which provides comprehensive, collaborative and consolidated security fueled by AI-powered and cloud-delivered solutions has further strengthened partner relationships and driven growth.

Channel-friendly policies are absolutely critical to driving corporate business in India, especially for a 100% channel-led organization like Check Point Software. These partners encompass various routes to market, including resellers, systems integrators, managed security service providers (MSSPs), independent software vendors (ISVs), and more.

“The partner ecosystem is the backbone of our business, and by adopting channel-only routes, we ensure that all our sales and services are delivered through partners,” says Manish Alshi, Senior Director, Channels & Alliances, India & SAARC, Check Point Software Technologies. “The consistent expansion of our partner base, which grew from the initial 250 to now over 600 active partners in the last few years, underlines our commitment to leveraging this model to reach more customers and regions across India.”

“With a focused effort on providing partners with tools, training, and robust deal registration incentives, our channel-friendly policies enable us to meet the dynamic needs of Indian enterprises across sectors like BFSI, government, and SMEs,” he says.

ELEMENTS OF A CHANNEL-FRIENDLY POLICY
A successful channel-friendly policy should emphasize simplicity, transparency, and mutual benefit, all key elements Check Point enveloped into its Partner Program. The key aim in designing the Partner Program was to ensure that it would be simple, easy to adopt, transparent and focused on a ‘win-win’ partnership.

“Prior to the launch of our Partner Growth Program in 2020, we reached out to hundreds of partners globally to seek their feedback on building a robust partner program. Taking their feedback and advice into consideration has helped us incorporate partner expectations into the construct of the program,” recounts Manish.

By fully committing to a channel-only model, Check Point has doubled its channel team size and expanded its partner base. This has enabled the company to onboard more than 150 new partners, resulting in a significant increase in deal registrations.

Check Point’s comprehensive partner enablement programs, include free certifications and sales training at little to no cost, where engineers at partner organisations can achieve certification to deliver services based around Check Point solutions, and enabling partners to develop closer long-term relationships with customers, achieve higher-value sales, and differentiating themselves from the competition by increasing their value to customers.