Interaction - Yvette McEnearney, Senior Director - Channel, APAC at GoTo

In an exclusive interaction with DQ Channels, Yvette McEnearney, Senior Director - Channel, APAC at GoTo shared her views and strategies on Revolutionizing Remote Security, IT Management, and Channel Partnerships.

Q1. How does GoTo's zero-trust approach to security contribute to the company's ability to securely support and connect businesses, especially in the context of remote management and support?

With the prevalence of remote and hybrid work setups today, safeguarding businesses against cyber threats has become more critical than ever. Zero Trust in the GoTo Resolve solution enables us to ensure the utmost protection for customers utilizing our remote IT support tools. In short, a zero-trust approach treats every user and device as a potential attacker, even those recognized by the company network, requiring additional verification via a unique signature key before they can take certain actions. That approach prevents malicious attackers posing as support agents from remotely controlling or accessing another device, or if an attacker does gain access to an agent’s account, any actions they take can be tracked via their signature key to mitigate any impact.

Zero Trust is a critical aspect of how we keep businesses secure, but of course, it’s only one part of GoTo’s approach to cybersecurity. We also provide 256-bit advanced encryption, Single Sign On (SSO) and Active Directory (AD), Multi-factor Authentication (MFA), and audits and reporting of support activities to provide a secure environment and smooth management. This commitment to high-level security not only fortifies our flagship IT support solutions – GoTo Resolve and LogMeIn Rescue – against cyber threats but also instills confidence in our customers, allowing them to manage their remote operations with peace of mind.

 2. Given GoTo's extensive portfolio, including products like LogMeIn Rescue and GoTo Resolve, how does the company's unified solution contribute to providing businesses with easy-to-use, built-for-IT solutions?

Building on two decades of expertise in crafting remote management and support software that empowers flexible work, GoTo’s solutions are designed to provide an “all-in-one” approach to IT.

GoTo Resolve serves as a cost-effective solution for SMBs, seamlessly consolidating all IT remote support and monitoring and management capabilities into a unified platform. This includes conversational ticketing, remote access, monitoring, multi-device support, and cutting-edge zero-trust security – all accessible under a single pane of glass. LogMeIn Rescue is an enterprise-grade scalable IT administration tool that helps IT teams handle anything and everything, from routine IT management to complex problem-solving. Our IT tools are an all-in-one IT support package that ensures agents can provide quick resolutions from anywhere.

With near 24/7 dedicated support and 99.999% reliable uptime, GoTo Resolve and LogMeIn Rescue can help businesses navigate work seamlessly. In addition, our flexible pricing and subscription plans cater to the diverse needs of different organizations and teams. This flexibility enables them to scale up or down as required, aligning with their growing business needs.

3. What specific strategies and approaches have you employed in your extensive career to build and revamp channel strategies for organizations undergoing acquisitions and mergers?

Channel strategy is a core part of our business at GoTo and investing in a channel-first approach plays a key role in navigating dynamic markets in APAC. Partners offer valuable insights when making acquisitions and changes across organizations and varying verticals, and their expertise from years of experience can help guide companies in making the right transition decisions.  A vendor’s perspective is often limited to the benefits of our products, and not necessarily the holistic picture of the ecosystem that each company works within. Leveraging partner insights is critical in helping our customers to make changes effectively and see the benefits quickly.

Additionally, recognizing the importance of upskilling the partners, we employ a multi-faceted approach to partner enablement. This includes initial training sessions, regular webinars, and access to our channel ecosystem, ensuring our partners are well-equipped to tap into market opportunities.

4. How do you ensure business success while also fostering strong and transparent partnerships with channel partners?

You can’t achieve real business success without strong and transparent partnerships with channel organizations. The GoTo Partner Network is designed to set partners up for success by offering quoting, training, marketing, analytics, and support resources. Our multi-faceted partner enablement approach includes regular sessions with our channel and pre-sales teams. When onboarding new partners, our channel managers work closely to understand their needs and priorities, providing training to enhance their ability to position GoTo’s products effectively. Technical support from our pre-sales team helps partners understand how GoTo’s solutions meet unique customer needs. Beyond initial training, we also offer ongoing enablement through regular webinars and access to our channel ecosystem, keeping partners updated on product developments, campaigns, and market trends.

With India offering significant growth prospects, we are committed to working closely with our channel partners and customers to drive mutual success and unlock new opportunities. An example of such a collaboration is with our partner Sonata Software, a leading digital engineering company. Utilizing GoTo Resolve, Sonata Software has achieved increased growth and customer retention in the last two years. Sonata's success reflects the efficacy of our flexible and easy-to-use IT management and support solutions, reinforcing our commitment to empowering our partners and customers to achieve their business objectives.

5. In the upcoming year 2024, what is GoTo planning to offer its existing channel partners to strengthen the relationship, and how it is going to expand its existing channel partner network?

In 2024, our strategic focus lies in leveraging our channel network to enhance service delivery for customers, supporting them in their tech fitness journey including operational efficiency, enhancing customer experience, and helping them gain a competitive edge in their market. We will continue to work closely with our partners and ensure that our benefits align with their investments in selling and supporting our technology. Our vision is that our partner ecosystem is truly an extension of our own team.

In India, the MSME sector is highly active and dynamic, and the increasing adoption of technology is expected to lead to an up to 20% increase in total IT investment budgets by 2027, presenting a significant opportunity for technology providers to tap into the market. For GoTo, this means providing innovative solutions for both SMEs and large enterprises, enabling them to get a higher return on their technology investment. As the equation between customers, partners, and providers evolves, we understand the critical role of the channel and Independent Software Vendor (ISV) partnerships. These collaborations will be instrumental in gaining market share across India and APAC, strengthening our brand, and expanding both in the partner and customer ecosystem.