AVG aims to appoint 1,000 partners by Dec

NEW DELHI, INDIA: Till now, AVG Technologies has been operational in the country though its national distributors, and the vendor did not have its direct presence here. All that is now set to change and its recently launched SignUp Reseller program is just a step in enhancing the vendors focus in India. That apart next year will see AVG Technologies appoint a Country Manager for India as well as staff to support its reseller network.

The SignUp Reseller program, which aims to educate and add a number of partners under its umbrella was announced in the fag end of October 2009. The program will educate resellers about the various security solutions and equip them to be able to convey the right information to end-customers. As per the program, resellers can become AVG Authorized Resellers by placing an order for AVG security products worth Rs 25,000 before November 21, 2009. The reseller would also get an additional five percent discount on dealer transfer price.

Peter Baxter, VP—Business Development, AVG Technologies shared that so far the program had received a phenomenal response. “We plan to recruit 1,000 partners by December 2009. So far we've added 200 and feel we're well on our way to achieving our target,” said Baxter. AVG Technologies will be appointing partners who are typically involved in selling IT equipments.

The partners would be educated about security solutions so that they are able to covey the right information to end-customers. “The Indian community relies heavily on recommendations, so resellers should have the right information to pass on to them,” added Baxter.

AVG Technologies would initially be targeting the top 10 metros—Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Pune, Kanpur and Surat. “The great thing about India is the large number of resellers, which is constantly growing. We need people to assist with our coverage. The two key distributors who are managing our reseller campaign are Mediaman and Milestone. Our aim is to provide services to all regardless of the geography,” stated Baxter.

According to a recent report by Forrester Research, the number of Internet users worldwide is expected to touch 2.2 billion by 2013, and India is projected to have the third largest online population during the same time. “This is a good indication of the number of businesses we will see going online in the near future. For companies like AVG, this is a huge opportunity. SMB is a big focus area for us due to the increasing number of people who are free to start their own businesses. So our focus here is going to be very strong,” commented Baxter.

When asked how AVG was faring with respect to its competitors and their claims of offering latest technologies in the security space, Baxter stated, “Our range of products delivers different levels of protection. What we're trying to do is to ensure that security is not a luxury confined to a select few. There are a number of different users and each needs a different level of security which is what we cater to.”