Integrating two big channel programs is not an easy task. Symantec’s channel team, headed by Julie Parrish and in Canada by Fred Patterson, had to integrate 18 different channel plans into one.
Making the job even more difficult was venturing forward with a channel plan that would emphasize Symantec’s two main product directions security and availability.
Patterson makes the top newsmakers list for taking global channel initiatives and tailoring them for the Canadian market.
“This is a milestone in the evolving Symantec partner program,” said Patterson in an earlier interview.
Besides Veritas, which was Symantec’s headline-grabbing acquisition, the security software maker also acquired Sygate, IMLogic, Bindview, Relicore and Whole Security. Patterson, the director, enterprise channels for Symantec Canada, said he put the program together in bite size chunks that could be easily digested.
Patterson also helped to streamline the process for partners by creating tiers. He also expanded Symantec’s partner locator eligibility to include Silver partners. The partner locator’s search engine was also improved to include product and market information.