Blue Coat Systems, a Web security and WAN optimization provider, is entering the cloud 
services arena by introducing a new scalable Internet-delivered web security service, as well as introducing a Cloud Partner Program for partners to sell the new Blue Coat Cloud Service.
“This is an opportunity for our resellers to address their midmarket and smaller customers,” said JoAnne Vedati, director of product marketing for cloud services at Blue Coat.
The Cloud Partner Program includes two designations — Cloud-Ready and Managed Security Service Provider. The Cloud-Ready designation is for existing Blue Coat partners who would need sales and technology training to begin selling the new service. The Managed Security Service Provider designation is a more advanced designation for partners that will white label the Blue Coat Cloud Service and build additional offerings around it.
The new Cloud Partner Program offers partners a series of features, including:
- Expanded portfolio: The Blue Coat Cloud Service works with existing Blue Coat products and allows Cloud-ready partners to expand their product portfolio. With both an appliance-based and a cloud-based Web security product, partners can guide end users to the best fit for them.
- New subscription-based pricing model: Cloud-Ready partners and Managed Security Service Providers both gain recurring revenue with a subscription-based pricing model.l
- Deal registration: Revenue protection through deal registration is available for both new and renewal sales.
- White label opportunity: Managed Security Service Providers can white label the Cloud Service to either extend the reach of existing managed services or to deliver a new managed service to their customers.
- New customer support opportunities: With the reporting user interface, Cloud-Ready partners have the opportunity to offer new consulting services, such as policy optimization, as well as tier 1 and 2 support.
- Partner View: Both Cloud-ready partners and Managed Security Service Providers have full visibility into the customers, and help manage entitlements, trials, renewals, and help troubleshoot customer service needs.
“[The Blue Coat Cloud Service]’s benefit is the infinite scalability of the service,” says Vedati. “Small organizations want to start small, but they have aspirations to grow. This provides resellers the capability to start with these organizations as well as protecting the core set of users that they’ve got. The resellers can easily add capabilities from a functionality standpoint, allowing them to continue to be trusted advisors to customers.”
