The security company's strongest quarter ever was due in great part to its channel, which recruited 123 new partners and a deal with Ingram Micro.Webroot's channel program was a key element of the Internet security solution provider's success in the last quarter of 2006, a period when officials said Webroot saw the largest sales quarter in its roughly 10-year history.
Less than a year after the company unveiled its Channel Edge Partner Program—a program that offers partners comprehensive training tools, ROI (return on investment)-driven marketing materials, and superior technical and sales support—Webroot has nearly doubled its revenue generated from channel sales, company officials said.
In the final few months of 2006, Webroot recruited 123 new Channel Edge partners and signed a distribution agreement with Ingram Micro, the world's largest technology distributor. This strategic relationship has helped Webroot expand its reach within the channel, and the Channel Edge program helped recruit key partners to win over SMBs (small and midsize businesses), Webroot officials said.
"Webroot has consistently provided us with excellent resources and training so we can help our clients identify network vulnerabilities in order to protect them from spyware attacks," said David Tompkins, managing partner of Dallas-based Galaxy Tech, in a statement. "And now, with the addition of anti-virus support, Webroot has given us another tool to help us be successful."
Although the company did not release exact figures, Hoover's, a Texas-based financial research firm, estimated Webroot's 2006 sales at $100 million.
Webroot officials also credit the introduction of several new products as key factors in the company's growth. In addition to new versions of its anti-spyware programs, Spy Sweeper and Spy Sweeper Enterprise, Webroot incorporated best-of-breed anti-virus technology from Sophos into the Spy Sweeper product line with the introduction of Spy Sweeper with AntiVirus, a recipient of PC Magazine's Editors' Choice Award. The company also released Webroot SME Security, a threat solution made specifically for SMBs.
"While we are extremely pleased with the tremendous success of the products and programs we released last year, we realize that our work as an Internet security provider is far from over," said Peter Watkins, Webroot's CEO.
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