In this modern cybersecurity world we live in today, criminals are forever looking for ways to take advantage of end users. We are victims of tactics like misinformation, imitation of trustworthy sources and even fake social media profiles amongst many other tricks. Figure 1. Data showing data breach investigations report, Verizon. One company at the forefront of the helping organisations around the world stay safe is Webroot. Fresh from signing our recent distribution agreement, we caught up with Charles Tomeo, Vice President of Webroot to get an introduction to Webroot and how they help partners deal with the modern cybersecurity threats. So, tell us a little about yourself? I’m the vice president of worldwide business sales for Webroot, a Carbonite company, with over 20 years of IT security experience in the industry, including 13 at Webroot. Two decades in the industry has equipped me with a deep knowledge of the endpoint and web security spaces. In my role I lead the development, strategy and execution of Webroot solutions through an innovative approach and network of market-leading partners and Managed Service Providers (MSPs). Key to this is engaging partners and end-customers throughout their lifecycles, from pre-sale to post-sale. And Webroot? Webroot delivers next-generation endpoint security and threat intelligence services to protect businesses and individuals around the globe. Our smarter approach harnesses the power of cloud-based collective threat intelligence derived from millions of real-world devices to stop threats in real time and help secure the connected world. In 2019, Webroot was acquired Carbonite, a leader in endpoint and server backup and recovery, serving the market from small business to small enterprise. Together, we are the world’s leading cybersecurity and data protection company. Gartner seem to love your technology, tell us more? Webroot was the first cybersecurity company to harness the cloud and artificial intelligence to protect businesses and individuals against cyber threats. We provide the number one security solution for managed service providers and small businesses, who rely on Webroot for endpoint protection, network protection, and security awareness training. Webroot BrightCloud® Threat Intelligence Services are used by market-leading companies like Cisco, F5 Networks, Citrix, Aruba, Palo Alto Networks, A10 Networks, and more. Leveraging the power of machine learning to protect millions of businesses and individuals, Webroot secures the connected world. But we don’t just focus on being high-tech but also on being high-touch with our partners. Most technology companies focus solely on the first part of selling: training teams to make sure they understand products from a technical standpoint. And while that’s very important, many companies forget about the personal relationships that are necessary to be successful in business. That’s why we are proud to actively ask for input from our partners via regular one-on-one interactions and event participation, but also through more formal events like our Webroot Forums and our Customer Advisory Boards, which we host across the globe. You seem to have quite an extensive partner offering on your website, what is it that resellers like about Webroot? With the rapidly changing threat landscape and dissolving network perimeter, we’ve focused our efforts on supporting Webroot SecureAnywhere DNS Protection to provide MSPs and SMBs with an additional layer of security. Webroot SecureAnywhere DNS Protection was brought to market in 2017, and since then, we’ve worked tirelessly in the channel to help educate about its importance. DNS Protection stops 88 percent of web-borne malware before it reaches an organisation’s network by automatically applying defences at the network perimeter. It is an effective security layer for our customers and partners. We are hyper focused on providing an easy-to-use, holistic security solutions for the channel. We are aware that time is money for our partners. So, we aim to provide a portfolio of security solutions that can easily be enabled for sites via our Global Console. By making security as easy as clicking a button to enable DNS Protection or launch Security Awareness Training, protecting customers is no longer another hoop that MSPs have to jump through. We also know that preventing attacks from getting through in the first place saves MSPs and SMBs time and money. It’s a win-win for our partners. Webroot have become well known for your threat research and intelligence. What’s the current trends you’re seeing and do you expect this to change over the next year? Phishing remains an effective tactic for cyber criminals, as highlighted in Webroot’s threat report. Phishing attacks continue to rise and this means there will continue to be a need for training and awareness for organisations and their employees. Ransomware also continues to be a cybersecurity threat for businesses, but a growing trend we’re seeing is that attacks are becoming more and more targeted. To help address this, enterprises will need to look beyond traditional solutions, investing in proven next generation threat intelligence offerings. Finally, for our readers. Three reasons why they should get in touch with QBS Distribution to talk Webroot? 1) Our partnership programmes give you an innovative set of tools, exclusive resources, and easy-to-manage cybersecurity and cloud-based solutions to effectively grow your MSP business. 2) We can provide industry-leading syndicated web content, partner certification, demos, webinars, and more, to give our associates that competitive edge. Our enablement activities help you promote the value of threat intelligence as part of your current offering. 3) We pride ourselves on the support we can offer customers such as pre-sales engineering, ongoing event and technical support and community access through our programmes. Secure your business with Webroot, contact your account manager today or book a demo today!
About the Author Charlie Tomeo is Vice President of Worldwide Business Sales for Webroot, Inc. With more than 20 years of IT security experience, including 14 at Webroot, Tomeo has deep knowledge of the endpoint and Web security spaces. He enjoys engaging with partners and end customers across the globe throughout their pre- and post-sale solution lifecycles. He has spent the past five years growing the Managed Service Provider business at Webroot and has vast experience in the Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) and Professional Services Automation (PSA) markets. Previously, Tomeo served as Senior Director of Worldwide Systems Engineers, Professional Services, and Training at Webroot. Tomeo is a four time CRN Channel Chief (2016-2019), was named to the MSP Mentor Top 250 List 2013 -2014 and was awarded the Channel Partners Circle of Excellence in 2018 for his leadership, vision and innovation in the channel.