Benham and Berger said that Webroot's channel program was focused on presenting VARs in the best possible light, so that customers can see the partners' added value.  He said one way to accomplish that was to co-brand Webroot products with the VAR's name and logo, that way a piece of equipment the customer touches every day has the partner's name and logo on it, keeping him front of mind.  

That front-of-mind, value-add philosophy is especially important in SMB security, he said, since SMBs often need somebody to help them understand how much and what kind of security they need for their business.

"Security is a relationship, a continuing discussion that has to take place, not a one-time transaction that you buy with a credit card and then it's done," Benham said. By taking support and consulting services out of the hands of VARs, a vital piece of that 'conversation' is lost.

"For 1,000 seat and under SMBs, even folks who have a dedicated IT person or two, they rely on security resellers and VARs to make recommendations about security.  They are still looking for someone to help them navigate the threat landscape," said Berger. He said Google and Postini are making security into a simplistic, one-time transaction that may leave SMBs wondering if the security configuration they just bought is appropriate for their situation.   

"There's a continuing discussion about security that has to take place between VAR and customer, it's not a one-time-use transactional application," said Berger. "Our VARs like having that ongoing conversation rather than going to Google, type in 'e-mail security,' add 'e-mail security' to your shopping cart and lo and behold!  You've gone and bought yourself some security!"