Brazilian service provider Avant Services managed to achieve the Platinum Partner level in cooperation with Safetica within a year. Furthermore, his investments returned approximately in 6 months.
How to reach the goal that could seem to be very challenging? We have talked with Renan Fernandes, CEO & founder of the company.
Why have you decided to partner with Safetica?
We founded Avant two years ago. We started to cooperate with Esy (our distributor) almost immediately. Alberto (Esy) mentioned that they have signed a contract with a company with a very promising tool called Safetica. A few weeks afterwards, the Covid Pandemic was declared, and many companies started to adopt the Home Office approach, which forced many of them to manage user behavior and prevent possible data loss. During this transition, we understood the real potential of Safetica DLP and therefore we started to work in an organized and systematic way to present the solution in Brazil and adhere to the needs of our customers.
Why and how did you decide to do the investment and become Platinum partner so fast?
Due to the Pandemic many companies started to look for a solution such as Safetica. At the same time, the LGPD in Brazil begun to apply, therefore the market potential became huge!
Thus, it was necessary to study Safetica’s tool, invest in people, processes, and training so we were prepared to be able to demonstrate, sell and serve our customers with quality.
I would like to highlight that the alignment of the Technical Team with the Commercial Team is very important. What helped us a lot during this period was Safetica’s roadmap/materials and the support of our distributor, Esy.
When did your investment in Safetica return? Did you have to hire somebody?
ROI approximately in 6 months. It was very fast! At the beginning, it was not necessary to employ anybody new, however, I think it is important to have a dedicated person in the team, it will make things easier.
Were there any obstacles with achieving Platinum partner level?
I believe that the biggest challenge we faced was the timing. When Safetica entered the Brazilian market, it was full of uncertainties. In addition to that, our company structure has been offering different product profiles (not DLP), which also required our adaptation.
Things started to move more smoothly, once we understood the profile of the ideal customer, that is interested in investing in tools that increase income, save money, or reduce risk. Furthermore, since Safetica covers more than one of these reasons, this made the purchase potential much greater, thus facilitating the development of the market and the product in Brazil.
How much time did it take Avant to get the Tier 1 & Tier 2 certifications required for Platinum partner level?
Tier 1 was fast, as it is mandatory for all technicians at Avant. After understanding and using the solution, we obtained Tier 2 certificate. Tier 1 certificate took us approximately ten days and Tier 2 fifteen days.
What surprised you the most about the cooperation with Safetica?
We have had two big surprises with Safetica. First, when it comes to the concept of DLP, the theory is quite frightening and complex. But when you start working with the tool and understand its concepts, you can see how simple and intuitive it is.
The second surprise was the ease of communication with the entire Safetica team, in addition to being able to deliver feedback and indicate possible improvements. I can safely say that almost no vendor gives this kind of opening. Fast communication, simplicity, and objectivity!
What advice would you give to other partners when it comes to the Safetica partner program?
It is not good to give advice to the competitors, right? I am joking! I think, it is important to use and study the documentation from Safetica, to get familiar with the solution, and have strong teams, both commercial and technical. Furthermore, it is important to have a good relationship with a local distributor, since he is the main connection between a vendor and a reseller.
Avant Services is a Brazilian IT service provider company that offer customers a wide variety of products: from the most common software licensing to complex security solutions. Avant was founded two years ago in Maringá, Brazil. Avant can
About Version 2
Version 2 is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company develops and distributes IT products for Internet and IP-based networks, including communication systems, Internet software, security, network, and media products. Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.
About Safetica
Safetica is to provide small and mid-sized companies with the same quality data protection that corporations have – affordably, and without any additional IT administration or disruptions in operation.
