Security - Channel Insider
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Alternative Antivirus Vendors Worth a Look

By Ericka Chickowski on 2011-04-25



Sure, big security vendors like Symantec and McAfee may have name recognition and huge channel programs to back their product. But as with any large vendor those benefits come with baggage--bureaucracy, a lack of differentiation from hundreds of other channel partners and sometimes lower margins. If you're looking for alternatives to the big guys, here are some places to start.
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KasperskyRecently climbing into the coveted number 3 spot in the list of antivirus vendors for the first time, Kaspersky has got great cache for its technological prowess. Not to mention it has rocketed from unknown to alternative superstar largely based on its favorable channel relations.

Trend MicroA long-time unorthodox vendor in this space, TrendMicro is making waves with its WorryFree Business Security services among other business-friendly options. The company also recently launched its new Vantage Rewards program offering aggressive discounts and deals for partners focusing on customers with 1500 users and fewer.

AvastChugging along under the radar of most for twenty years, Avast is the free little malware program that could. Lately it has been touting the tagline "Free Means Business," courting SMBs with its basic AV. For partners who want more, Avast also has a full-fledged business solution and strives to play well with the channel.

M86M86 has been working to improve its channel program steadily over the past year, introducing new education opportunities, deal registration and renewal protection within its single-tier partner program.

LumensionLumension has been hammering the market with the idea that signature-based AV alone is not enough protection. It's helping the channel to sell the ecosystem of 'intelligent' whitelisting, utilizing whitelist technology along with vulnerability and patch management as well as antivirus all bundled into a single extensible platform.

SophosWith a strong heritage in building solid channel relationships, Sophos generally hits all the right notes with VARs and service providers. Last year it introduced its Sophos Managed Service Provider (MSP) Program for SMB Security Partners, giving MSPs more opportunities to rake in the dough using this vendor.

ImmunetPurchased by Sourcefire in January only a short time after it was conceived, Immunet is a cloud-based antivirus solution founded by old Symantec vets. Instead of relying on the traditional blacklist dug up by its own stable of researchers, Immunet bases its rating of good and bad software on the behavior of executables on machines in its installed base.

Panda SecurityPanda started the year off strong, touting its Panda Cloud Office Protection (PCOP) suite as a way to not only find and protect machines against malware, but also to find rogue endpoints and servers for which resellers and service providers could up-sell licenses.

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