Symantec SSP and ExSP Program Transition FAQ for Channel Partners

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Last Updated June 25, 2018
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Below are possible questions regarding the updates related to Symantec’s legacy Strategic Service Provider (“SSP”) Buying Program and Enterprise Service Provider (“ExSP”) Buying Program.

General questions

What’s happening to the Symantec SSP and ExSP Buying Programs?

Last year we set out to improve the Partner experience with Symantec, and we set four critical focus areas, the primary one being “Operational Excellence.” We challenged ourselves to continually drive operational excellence by reviewing every process, system, and tool that we use to conduct our business with Partners.  

To allow us to focus on this goal, we:

  • Closed the SSP Program for new enrollments
  • Re-defined the eligibility criteria for the ExSP Program

These efforts allowed us to focus on simplifying and streamlining our processes and design the right sales and support structures to foster growth and profitability for Symantec and for our channel Partners.

This means that:

  • SSP: Effective July 31st, 2018, we will be retiring the SSP Program.
  • ExSP: Effective October 2nd, 2018, we will be retiring the ExSP Program.

We are committed to our goal of operational excellence and will continue to be committed throughout all of FY19, to continually improve the experience in partnering with us.

What are the important dates to remember associated with these transitions?

SSP Program:

  • May 31st, 2018: Existing Partners enrolled in the SSP Program should expect to receive a notification of the SSP Program Termination. The notification will also contain transition details.
  • July 31st, 2018: At the end of this day, the SSP Program will be deemed terminated and Symantec will no longer accept any orders under this Program. All attributes of the SSP Program itself in the  agreements will be terminated.

The existing SSP Agreement will be replaced by a new standard Service Provider Agreement.

If you are already enrolled in our Secure One program, you may simply access the new agreement through the PartnerNet portal. If you are not currently a member of our Secure One Program, please click here to enroll now: https://www.symantec.com/partners/programs/secure-one.

ExSP Program:

  • July 2nd, 2018:
    • Existing Partners enrolled in the ExSP Program should expect to receive a notification of the ExSP Program Termination. The notification will also contain transition details.
    • Select Partners eligible to continue with access to this model will need to sign the new standard Service Provider Agreement and any additional addendum if applicable.
  • October 1st, 2018:
    • At the end of this day, the ExSP Program will be deemed terminated and Symantec will no longer accept any orders under this Program. All attributes of the ExSP Program itself in the  agreements will be terminated.
    • Partners are required to report and place any associated orders to Symantec or your chosen Symantec authorized Distributor, for any use through October 2nd, 2018, in accordance with your ExSP Agreement and the ExSP Program guidelines.
    • * Active annual minimum commit contracts that expire after the program termination date are valid through their defined end date and will not be renewed.

Where can Partners go for help and additional questions regarding the Program updates?

Partners may reach out to their Symantec Channel Account Managers or a Symantec authorized Distributor for questions related to the transitions. They can also send an email to PartnerService@symantec.com who may assist them with their queries.

Will existing Service Provider Partners be required to sign new contracts going forward?

Yes, because the current contracts are tied to the Legacy SSP/ExSP Programs, new and existing service providers will need to accept and sign the new standard Service Provider Agreement. This agreement will allow Service Providers to procure Symantec solutions for the purposes of providing managed services to their end users, and to maintain entitlement ownership and access to technical support.

Are there any eligibility requirements to be a Symantec Service Provider under the new standardized Agreement?

No, any existing or new Service Providers who wish to continue doing business with Symantec as a Service Provider can simply sign the new standard Service Provider Agreement.

If you are already enrolled in our Secure One program, you may simply access the new agreement through the PartnerNet portal. If you are not currently a member of our Secure One Program, please click here to enroll now: https://www.symantec.com/partners/programs/secure-one.

Are there any changes to the way transactions are expected to to be fulfilled?

All transactions are expected to be fulfilled through a Symantec authorized Distributor, or as agreed upon with Symantec. Partners may access the Symantec Partner Locator at https://mysymantec.force.com/partnerlocator/s/ to find the list of authorized Distributors. Distributors may continue to submit orders either through SymOrder or through EDI.

How do my Partners continue to buy Symantec products after Program termination?

Service Provider partners who sign the new Service Provider Agreement can simply transact through their chosen Distributors from the Corporate Price List. In some cases, Partners may also transact from the Business Price List if ordering Symantec solutions that are best suited for the small business customer (as defined as companies with less than 250 employees).

If I am a Service Provider, am I allowed to register my opportunity and receive additional discount?

Yes, you may register opportunities and receive additional discounts aligned to your Secure One metal tier when buying off of the Corporate or Business Price Lists. ExSP transactions, however, are not eligible for opportunity registration discounts. You can find a list of pricing categories eligible for opportunity registration on PartnerNet.

SSP Program transition questions

What happens to the Territory and Affiliate Addenda that were a part of the SSP Program terms and conditions?

With the discontinuation of the SSP Program, any associated Affiliate Addenda that permitted their affiliates to purchase under the same agreement, are terminated, as well.

If a Partner had a Territory Addendum that allowed for Partner to order, deploy, or use in a particular territory, that addendum is terminated, as well.

Will Partners still be able to add subsidiaries (affiliates) to their Master Symantec Agreement Number?

With the SSP Program going away, Partners will no longer have the ability to add a subsidiary in this manner. Any Partners’ subsidiaries and affiliates will need to be authorized to sign a separate Symantec Service Provider Agreement.

Will Partners still have access to the SSP band-level based discounts?

All existing programmatic band-level based discounts associated with the Rewards Pricelist will no longer apply. Partners can simply purchase off the Corporate Price List or Business Price List, as applicable, through their chosen Distributors.

For Partners with valid active and committed Products/Pricing Exhibits, Symantec will honor the pricing until the exhibits expire and exhibits may not be renewed. During this period, if your Partner requires quoting assistance, you may send an email to Quote Desk who can support you with quoting needs: srcenterprisequotedesk@symantec.com. Please advise your Partner that they must provide their existing SSP SAN#, as well as the requested products so that we can properly assist with the quote request and that the order flows through with the appropriate pricing.

Do Partners need to continue referencing an SSP SAN# on future orders once the program terminates?

No, however, Partners may need to retain and refer to the new numeric 10 digit Symantec agreement number (corresponding to the applicable SymARTrecord) associated to the new standard Service Provider Agreement and referenced on such Agreement.

What will happen to Partners’ Parent SANs and the affiliates they have linked to it?

With the retirement of the SSP Program, any associated Affiliate or Territory Addenda, under the same SSP Agreement, are terminated as well. Partners no longer need to keep track of Parent SAN’s or Affiliate SAN’s. Those SAN #’s will expire upon Program termination.

EXSP Program transition questions

What are we doing to transition the existing ExSP Partners?

All existing ExSP Partners who wish to continue doing business with Symantec as service providers can sign the new standard Service Provider Agreement (“SPA”). Once the SPA is signed, Partners can simply transact through their chosen Distributor from the Corporate Price List or Business Price List, as applicable (refer to GENERAL section of this FAQ).

Partners who meet the criteria for a Quarterly Billing model  must sign the SPA as well as the Quarterly Billing Addendum, which authorizes the Partner to place orders to their chosen Distributors from the ExSP Price List. Existing Partners can access the SPA by contacting their Symantec Channel Account Manager.

We have also notified or will be notifying these ExSP Partners who today are transacting SEP SBE for their customers, that they are targeted for an upgrade from our SEP SBE product to our new SEP Cloud offering. Whilst these Partners will no longer continue  to act as service providers, they will, as part of the upgrade, be transitioning to transact through a Cloud Solution Provider Distributor (CSP) marketplace.

If a Partner’s Annual Minimum Commit Agreement expires past the ExSP Program termination date, how will the Partner continue to transact until their agreement expires?

For Partners with Annual Minimum Commitments that expire after October 2ndSymantec will continue to process these existing commits as per the current ExSP defined processes. All rights and obligations required for the administration of such Annual Minimum Commitment(s) shall survive termination only to the extent required to fulfill any existing obligation.  

Are Partners required to submit usage reports for the period prior to Program termination?

If there is a usage payment due for the quarter prior to program termination, Partners are not relieved of that obligation even after program termination. Partners must submit a report and place any associated orders to Symantec, or their chosen Symantec authorized Distributor, for any use through October 2nd, 2018, in accordance with their ExSP Agreement and the ExSP Program guidelines.

Can new Partners enroll into the Quarterly Billing model?

As we continue to focus our efforts on achieving “Operational Excellence” we are limiting access to this model for existing ExSP Partners who meet the defined criteria.

Section is specific to ExSP Partners Eligible for Continued Access to the Quarterly Billing model ONLY:

Will existing ExSP Partners be required to sign new contracts going forward?

Yes, as part of the transition, all continuing Partners will be provided with a recontract package that would include the following for execution and record keeping:

  • Service Provider Agreement
  • Quarterly Billing (“QB”) Addendum & Usage Reporting Template
  • Operations Guide
  • Account Setup Form

What is the Quarterly Billing (“QB”) model?

The Quarterly Billing model provides existing Service Providers access to a licensing model and a monthly subscription Pricelist that allows for quarterly payments (in arrears) based on quarterly usage reports provided by Service Provider.

How will existing Partners know if they are eligible to continue on the QB model?

In order for existing Partners to receive access to the Quarter Billing model, Partners must have transacted a total order submission equal to $150,000 (one hundred fifty thousand USD) MSRP USD in FY18. For continued access, Partners must maintain this amount over four (4) consecutive Fiscal Quarters.

Are there new critieria that continuing Partners should be aware of?

Any Partner who is granted access to Quarterly Billing will be subject to an annual revenue review to maintain access to the ExSP Pricelist.

How do eligible QB Partners obtain pricing?

QB Partners will have access to transact off the new ExSP Pricelist. Partners should contact their Distributor to obtain pricing.

Do Partners need to pull down a new fulfilment SKU or just use the new invoice only SKU’s?

When the Program is officially terminated on October 2nd, Partners will need to have transitioned to transacting against the new ExSP SKU’s (fulfillment only + invoice only) available on the new ExSP Pricelist.

Are the price bands changing?

Yes, with the introduction of the new ExSP Pricelist, the price bands are consistent with those that are available on the Corporate Price List. On the new ExSP Pricelist, you will continue to find the respective fulfilment SKU’s as well as invoice only SKU’s for all Symantec solutions available on such new ExSP Price List, which will have consistent price bands.  

Do Partners still have 2 weeks after the end of the quarter to submit a usage report?

Yes, that requirement has not changed. As part of the contracting package, QB Partners will receive the usage reporting template that the Partner must complete each quarter and send such usage report to their chosen Distributor (unless they are approved to order directly from Symantec).

Is the ordering process changing?

All transactions are still expected to fulfil through Symantec authorized Distributors. Distributors may submit transactions via SymOrder or Electronic Ordering (“EDI”). Partners will still be expected to attach their usage declaration report to the order.

More details on the ordering process will be provided next month ahead of the ExSP Program Termination Notification.

Are there any changes to the way ExSP transactions are expected to to be fulfilled?

ExSP Partners currently transacting through a Symantec authorized Distributor, or as agreed upon with Symantec, may continue to do so. Existing Distributors supporting those Partners will be required to accept receipt of the applicable price list updates to their existing Distribution Agreement.

Do Partners need to continue referencing an ExSP SAN on future orders?

No, all existing ExSP SAN #’s will be expired with the ExSP Program discontinuation in October 2018.

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