Kaspersky takes a look at how the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted cybersecurity for the SMB space.

There is no question that the Covid-19 pandemic has thrown the idea of work upside down. After a year of working in sweats, from kitchens, spare bedrooms, bathrooms, patios or the beach; businesses have learned that employees do not have to be in an office to be successful.

However, with that said, a virtual year has also seen people miss the face-to-face interactions with their peers.

“Sorry video conference calls – it’s not you, it’s us” – Michael Scott many business folks.

While that quote is purely a figment of our imagination, we know that many people definitely feel that way. Let’s face it – a year of working remote, juggling kids and school with work and just not seeing people can take a real hit on the psyche.

When you think of positions that would be impacted, sales immediately jumps to the top of mind. These folks are always meeting face to face whether to network or finalize a deal. With that in mind, the team at Kaspersky decided to talk to the channel and see how these businesses were impacted during the pandemic.

Why would you do this, you ask? Well, the reason is simple. Kaspersky is a 100% channel driven company and while we always want to succeed, we also want our partners to succeed and thrive.

“What really stood out to me was that 76% of responders want to go back to pre-pandemic sales models,” noted Matt Courchesne, head of channel for Kaspersky North America, upon viewing the survey results.

For those wondering these are the meetings where partners physically meet with clients, breaking bread, sharing best practices or even working closely together to tackle specific challenges. Since cybersecurity is not really something, like say a fax machine, that you can simply set and forget – these meetings are key to having both the client and vendor on the same page and working in tandem for protection of the client and their customers.

#COVID19 has changed what channel #IT partners expect from their vendor relationships, but how much? Read our ‘Redefining Channel Partnerships’ report to find out. https://t.co/UOoXkDuel1 pic.twitter.com/7fkUctSjDf

— Kaspersky (@kaspersky) May 4, 2021

Despite the fact that these in-person meetings are important, the survey also showed that despite the want to go back to normal, that the channel is also quite the realist.

“The pandemic really challenged the way that we do business and look to incorporate technology into the day-to-day relationships with clients,” added Courchesne. “73% of those surveyed noted that they would continue to conduct video calls. It is important to be face to face but we also need to be strategic as video meetings have become valuable and need to be continued as well.”

Looking a bit more into the survey, some clear undertones were that the relationship between vendors like Kaspersky and the Channel partners are increasing in importance. Both sides will continue to look at adapting and evolving the way that they work to support SMB clients across North America.

For more insight on COVID’s impact on the channel and the future of reseller-vendor relationships, read the report here

The past year has been rough on all of us and we all hope that the scourge that is Covid-19 gets beyond us sooner than later. The term “return to normal,” has been bandied about quite a bit, but what normal is has yet to be defined clearly. No matter, we all look forward to whatever it is.