Risk management and security vendor Trend Micro is looking ahead to 2025 as a year to build upon program enhancements and platform updates that were unveiled throughout 2024. Director of Service Provider Channel Lamon Gorman spoke with Channel Insider about those changes and how Trend Micro plans to enable its partner base to take advantage of the various channel opportunities in AI and security.

Vision One platform updates bring enterprise-grade security to MSPs and SMBs

Trend Micro’s Vision One platform brings together threat prevention, detection, monitoring, and response capabilities into a single-view workflow. This wide-reaching approach to security, according to the company, widens the view service providers and their customers have over the entire attack surface, including infrastructure, network and endpoints and strengthening zero-trust architecture in businesses.

Gorman highlights the platform and the technology within it as enterprise-grade, but points out that it’s also a powerful option for MSPs focused on the SMB space.

“Historically, MSPs have focused on the SMB space,” Gorman said. “But the security portfolio they can build goes well beyond just meeting the needs of SMBs.”

Trend Micro sells through channel organizations and directly to enterprise customers. The Vision One platform boasts 10,000 enterprise users, according to Gorman. Additions to the platform in 2024 were deployed to better address the specific needs and challenges of MSPs and other channel partners.

“We know providers go to market differently and have different needs for their technology,” Gorman said, noting Vision One offers multi-tenancy and visibility across clients that MSPs and others with multiple customers need to operate efficiently.

Partner program updates reflect wraparound services opportunity within security

From a business perspective, MSPs also go far beyond simply selling the platform, and Gorman said he and his team consider service offerings and business models when addressing their ecosystem.

“Our focus on our service provider partners is how we can help them build out their offerings around our tools,” Gorman said.

Unsurprisingly, one area Trend Micro is driving potential is through AI and GenAI readiness programs that focus on security concerns. Gorman outlined the two-pronged approach Trend Micro takes to the technology as “AI for security” and “security for AI.”

AI for security considers how AI, machine learning, and similar technologies can be used to enhance security through applying automation to detection and response. The Vision One platform has long contained AI technology, according to Gorman, but there is ongoing focus on continuing to “weave AI through all of” the company’s product strategy.

Security for AI, on the other hand, is a reminder for all organizations that AI adoption journeys require careful security and data protection planning to ensure high quality, secure use cases for the emerging technology.

“I think security can help drive AI adoption, and that’s why we focus on both AI for security and security for AI.”

Cyber risk: a strategic conversation MSPs need to prepare for

“Those that are ahead right now are those who are focused on cyber resilience,” Gorman said. “Conversations around risk and resiliency are standard boardroom talks at the enterprise level, but MSPs need to translate cyber risk into business risk especially in the SMB space.”

Gorman said he and others at Trend Micro who talk with partners offer a blueprint for success in leveling up and guiding customers through strategic conversations about security. This blueprint addresses a few capabilities that partner organizations should build, including:

  • Understanding what cyber risk as a concept includes, referring to the evolving threat landscape and how security concerns are business concerns
  • Considering the full lifecycle of data and security risk management
  • Preparing to address client concerns with new language that addresses the above through tangible risk analysis
  • Creating risk reduction plans for their customers

“We really want to help our partners change their approach to cybersecurity,” Gorman said of his team’s plans for 2025. “This is a great opportunity for us and our partners to change the dynamic of cybersecurity away from just detection and response and towards more holistic risk management.”

Trend Micro is one of our top six EDR vendors for 2025. Read our guide to explore more options to keep endpoints secure.

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