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Cloud-based security specialist Panda Security launched a new version of its Panda Cloud Partner Center, a free management console for Panda Security partners.
The cloud-based console offers a single access point from which partners can provide security and remote monitoring and management services, thanks to the integration of the company’s management and monitoring system, Panda Cloud Systems Management, and cloud security solutions Panda Cloud Office Protection and Cloud Office Protection Advanced and Cloud Email Protection.
A key feature is the Partner Center’s new license sales model. Not only can partners sell licenses in the traditional way, they can now sell subscription services (such as monthly services) without licenses expiring, and the solution will always be updated to the latest version.
This way, if a customer cancels his or her subscription and there are still active licenses, partners can use the console to automatically recover the licenses back to the customer’s pool and reassign them to another customer when needed, all from a cloud console that is available any time and any place, without the need for a virtual private network (VPN) connection.
“The new Panda Cloud Partner Center lets partners focus on their business and eliminates the hassle of working with various cloud vendors,” Manu Santamaria, product manager at Panda Security Headquarters, said in a statement. “As vendors, we need to help our partners make their business model flexible, so the service they offer customers is not only much more effective, but also generates higher margins than simply selling licenses.”
Other features include the ability to identify security issues and connect remotely to affected endpoints to resolve the problem directly from the client console and avoid missing renewal opportunities through the dashboard or email by viewing who will expire in the next 60 days and seeing if the partner has licenses to cover the account. Users can also cancel subscriptions (assigned licenses) with one click and reassign remaining licenses to new or existing accounts.
The Cloud Partner Center helps to manage customers across their entire lifecycles. It offers trial versions, assigns licenses and renewals, identifies business opportunities, extends licenses and cross-selling between products, and provides remote system monitoring, incident resolution or anti-malware protection management.
The program is also designed to help Panda partners increase margins by buying “pool” license packs and taking advantage of quantity discounts. These Panda Cloud solution license packs can be used directly by partners through the console without Panda’s intervention, enabling partners to buy licenses in advance and then assign them to customers.
A report last week from integrated security information and event management (SIEM) specialist AccelOps found data control and potential data loss are among the most pressing cloud security concerns for businesses. The report also revealed significant inhibitors remain in ensuring effective cloud security, with 39 percent of respondents believing that their existing SIEM and infrastructure monitoring tools are not acceptable to support their cloud security and regulatory compliance requirements.