Barracuda initiates phase three of partner programme plan

The latest updates bring Barracuda’s managed XDR service to all partners globally

Barracuda Networks has announced the launch of its new Barracuda Partner Sales Engineer Community alongside fresh updates to its global partner programme.

The new community is an enablement and rewards programme for VARs, MSPs, distributors and systems integrators providing access to training labs, scanning tools, and live Barracuda product demos and sandboxes.

It aims to expand partner technical expertise and help customers understand and strengthen their cybersecurity defenses. Partners are also eligible for exclusive rewards and benefits and can collaborate with peers.

Speaking to CRN about what drove the launch of the new community, Jason Howells, VP Channels, EMEA, explains it is an evolution of what Barracuda is trying to do with channel partners.

“Sales engineers are often unsung heroes.

“For us to be able to carve out a community specifically for sales engineers feels like a really great thing to do in the channel right now.

“There are many sales engineers we work with that now have a place where they can be recognised for what they do, and we can have that kind of community built that allows us to put a framework in place around sales excellence, and give them an opportunity to collaborate and share experiences and learn more and really lean in.”

Howells stresses the overall aim is to allow people to be able to communicate and collaborate.

“The whole purpose of it is to have a community where we can have regular gatherings, be targeted towards trying to make sure they have the tools and the knowledge and the sharing that they need to go and help them be successful, and in turn, help us be successful.”

Partner programme updates

Barracuda has also unveiled changes to its Partner Success Programme to introduce new automation and self-service tools.

Launched in December 2023, Barracuda brought together its MSP and channel partner programmes under one unified banner.

The midmarket vendor then unleashed its first wave of updates in March to focus on increasing partner margin and expanding technical enablement for channel partners and distributors.

For the first time, Barracuda Managed XDR is now available to all partners, enabling them to strengthen their cybersecurity posture and those of their customers while responding to the growing end-user opportunity for SOC-as-a-Service.

New certifications for Barracuda Managed XDR and updated certifications for other offerings have also been released to help partners differentiate their business; improve the sales cycle to close deals faster and grow revenue; and increase operational efficiencies, enhancing the customer experience.

Finally, the cybersecurity vendor has introduced two new dashboard modules that enable partners to monitor programme compliance with real-time visibility into revenue and certification achievements and renewals, as well as track performance against rebate targets.