A Trend in Anti-Virus Software Marketing

  • 02/28/2000
Continuing its strategy of ASP niche partnering, Trend Micro (Cupertino, Calif.) has joined forces with REALXpress.com (RXP) to launch Trend Micro Specialty Catalog, an online Web site that features Trend Micro’s antivirus product for AS/400 Domino customers.

The new catalog appears exclusively at the RPX Web site, www.realxpress.com (new window) and was scheduled to progressively debut during Lotusphere 2000.

The Trend Micro Specialty Catalog will encompass two products, Scan Mail for Lotus Notes and NeaTSuite, a virus protection suite for Windows NT. Of particular importance to the AS/400 market is Scan Mail for Lotus Notes, Trend’s award winning product.

ScanMail for Lotus Notes detects and removes viruses hidden in databases as well as e-mail attachments before they can reach the desktop. “Stopping viruses before they hot the desktop is a big issue,” says Alan Thompson, VP of global alliances for Trend Micro, specifically noting the problems that the Melissa virus has caused.

According to Thompson, there were a few main things that made RXP attractive to Trend Micro. “Our goal is to expand the user base of Scan Mail for Lotus Notes,” he says. “We heard about REALXpress and their focus on small and medium business. That’s an area that we do not focus on as much so that’s what attracted us to them. I think REALXpress is going to target the AS/400 customer base in a great way for Trend Micro.”

Prospective customers will be able to analyze, review, evaluate, purchase and implement Scan Mail for Lotus Notes as well as products in the NeaTSuite.

 
The catalog is divided into four sections.
  • Corporate profiles which includes Trend Micro’s business news, Lotus partner profiles, market vision and value statements;
  • Products/Services/Support for product details, benefits, hardware requirements, ISV Domino bundles, enterprise options and customization, customer profiles, Scan Mail service partners, customer care programs
  • Technology including “How To” tips and techniques, case studies, white papers, beta opportunities, education and training programs
  • Online Ordering with pricing and an order window
    		•  
    Trend Micro rarely deals directly with customers (the notable exception being Fortune 100 companies), with 90 percent of its sales coming from the channel program. When it came time to bring its products to the Internet, Trend decided to take a similar approach in choosing the ASP model. “We license our technologies to several ASPs,” says Thompson. “We look for ASPs that are strong in specific platform areas and that’s who we target.”

    For REALXpress.com, the partnership gives them strong anti-virus products to add to their portfolio and is another step in their goal to become a one-stop shopping source for the AS/400 market.

    “Trend has a great reputation for anti-virus products, and they have a dominant position in the Lotus marketplace,” says Tony Coppola, general manager at REALXpress.com.

    RXP debuted in July of 1998, with a focus on selling to the AS/400 installed base. To do this, they have partnered with leading vendors in a variety of markets. “We evaluate the market and our vendors and customers also recommend products they would like to see on our Web site,” says Thompson. “Then we go to the vendors with different programs they can choose.”

    In the sales program, REALXpress.com sells the vendors’ products directly to the customer. There is also a lead referral program, where REALXpress.com will refer the customers to the proper vendor contact. “Products under $20,000 can usually be sold on our Web site,” Thompson says. “But for the more sophisticated products, we usually do lead referrals.”

    For consumers, REALXpress.com gives them the ability to analyze and evaluate products. If a customer clicks on business intelligence, they can get live demonstrations on the BI products in the portfolio to evaluate which product best fits their needs. In the event they are unsure which product is the best fit, REALXpress.com has support specialists to assist them. “We try to be as objective as possible, but if the functionality of a product fits a customers needs, then we will recommend it,” Thompson says.

    The site's resource center informs consumers about upcoming shows, IBM announcements and about the products and the AS/400 marketplace. Says Thompson, “We give the user all the information they need to make a buying decision.”

    Related Editorial:

  • Trend Micro, REALXpress.com Team on AS/400 Antivirus Catalog

    Related Information:

  • Trend Micro, Inc. (new window)
  • REALXpress Resource Center (new window)

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