WatchGuard Debuts Consumption, Subscription Models For Endpoint Security

The integration of Panda Security’s endpoint protection, detection and response platform will allow WatchGuard partners to protect endpoints, networks and user identities - all from a single pane of glass.

WatchGuard Technologies has made Panda’s endpoint security product available through consumption and subscription models after integrating the technology into the company’s management console.

The Seattle-based cybersecurity vendor said the acquisition and subsequent integration of Bilbao, Spain-based Panda Security’s endpoint protection, detection and response platform allows partners and customers to protect endpoints, networks and user identities all from a single pane of glass, Andrew Young, SVP of product management, told CRN exclusively.

“When we closed the [Panda] acquisition in June [2020], the top goal was to get that product integrated into WatchGuard Cloud - our centralized management console - within the first year,” said Michelle Welch, SVP of marketing. “Not only is centralized procurement important, but that ease of administration that comes from those products all being managed within a single pane of glass is top priority.”

[Related: WatchGuard CEO: Panda Security Deal Is ‘Truly Creating Upside’]

Panda’s products, until now, have only been available through term licenses and Welch said making the technology accessible through consumption and subscription models will appeal to end users who want a smaller upfront commitment. Consumption models have been around for several years and have seen double-digit growth, while WatchGuard first launched subscription offerings with Synnex last year.

Nearly 1,000 of WatchGuard’s 11,000 active channel partners have already resold Panda’s endpoint security products since it was made available to them on Oct. 1, 2020. Up until now, solution providers reselling both WatchGuard and Panda had to deal with two different management consoles and business experiences, but they’ll be able to procure, activate and manage them centrally going forward.

The integration includes templates that can be defined at the service provider level, making it easier for channel partners to implement and maintain consistent policies across their entire customer base, according to Young. The effort is expected to make the purchase, procurement, deployment and ongoing management of WatchGuard and Panda technology more efficient and automated, he said.

Many partners have been waiting for Panda’s products to be available through WatchGuard Cloud before beginning to resell them, according to Welch. Solution providers installing Panda are typically taking out legacy anti-virus technology so that the customer can consolidate around WatchGuard’s portfolio, Welch said.

Conversely, Welch said Panda’s channel partners are required to start transacting through distribution to gain access to WatchGuard’s network security, secure Wi-Fi, and multi-factor authentication products. More than a quarter of Panda’s 6,000 active solution providers have already begun going through distribution, according to Welch.

Panda historically engaged directly with solution providers rather than going through distribution, and Welch said the company’s endpoint security products will still be available outside distribution. More than 90 percent of Panda partners have purchased a bundle that includes not-for-resale WatchGuard products, and she expects to see a spike in Panda partners transacting via distribution later this year.

From a metrics standpoint, Welch said the company plans to track the volume of cross-sell activity from legacy WatchGuard and Panda partners as well as the number of legacy Panda partners that transition to procuring through distribution. Of the 17,000 combined partners WatchGuard and Panda bring to the table, she said less than 10 percent were selling products from both companies prior to the acquisition.

“Our number one investment focus is in building a security platform for partners that simplifies every aspect of service delivery,” Welch said. “This acquisition [of Panda] is just another proof point in our ability to execute to that vision, adding new services quickly and integrating them into a single pane of glass.”