Webroot in the clouds over new SaaS service

Security software vendor Webroot has launched two new “in-the-cloud” Web security services to the Australian channel. The vendor claims the products will protect businesses and mobile workforces against Web-based threats.

Enterprise class security at a fraction of the cost is one of the key benefits for partners offered by the new Webroot Web Security SaaS service and the new version of its Email Security SaaS, Webroot director Asia Pacific, Charles Heunemann told CRN.

Heunemann claimed partners are guaranteed high margins on their sales of Webroot SaaS and the ability to establish recurrent revenue streams.

“Our global run rate of renewal is 99 percent and our renewal customer base is growing at 40 percent year on year with margin yields up to 150 percent over and above what they can make selling traditional on premise security software and appliances,” he said.

He told CRN that the web and email SaaS category is growing at 44 percent (according to IDC), with penetration of email SaaS into the regional APAC market about 8 percent. He added that there is a core foundation market already conscious and ready to accept the benefits SaaS.

“What we are finding is that the threat landscape continues to shift, for example 12 months ago the primary attach vector was email now 85 percent of Malware attacks are delivered by employees visiting the wrong web site and only 15 percent of organisations have effective protection these kinds of attacks,” said Heuneman.

Many of Webroot’s partners are riding the virtualisation wave and looking for more ways of maximising their customers' IT investments while reducing their environmental impact, he claimed.

“Webroot has also built a local C02 Carbon Minimised Data Centre that helps our partners and their customers fulfill their ‘Green IT quotas’,” Heuneman said.