“This time next year, I want people to walk up to our booth and say, ‘Oh yeah, OpenText. They’ve got a killer stack,’ not, ‘Wait … who are you guys again?’ That means events, road shows, webinars, all of it. We’re in blitz mode,” says Michael DePalma, vice president of business development at OpenText.
OpenText has a clear focus on the MSP channel with a soon-to-be rebuilt partner program, fresh integrations and a commitment to flexibility and transparency, all part of a broader strategy to reintroduce its cybersecurity portfolio through a unified, MSP-first lens.
“We’re building the new partner program with you, not just for you,” Michael DePalma, vice president of business development at Ontario, Canada-based OpenText, told CRN about the company’s focus on partners. “We’re not building in a vacuum anymore. We’re all in on the channel, and we’re just getting started.”
That partner program overhaul, which is set to launch later this summer, is rooted in direct MSP feedback and consultant insight. Sales enablement, co-brandable content and automation will be front and center, especially for higher-tier partners.
The changes come as OpenText navigates staying focused on MSPs while also integrating into its larger enterprise framework.
“We operate with an MSP-first mindset, but we have access to enterprise-grade resources like pen testing and remediation,” DePalma said. “The key is flexibility.”
That flexibility includes a rare offering in the channel: no contracts.
“MSPs love it,” he said. “We earn their business every month. We don’t need to inflate our valuation with long-term lock-ins; we’re already a public company.”
New product releases like its recently launched EDR (endpoint detection and response) offering are also helping refresh the company’s image, particularly around legacy brands like Webroot, Carbonite and Zix.
And the differentiator is OpenText’s ability to scale enterprise-level tools down to SMB customers.
“If a client wants to peek under the hood of our email security stack, the U.S. government uses it,” he said. “And they can manage everything through a single pane of glass.”
Looking ahead, the next six to12 months will see aggressive awareness campaigns, continued rollout of integrations and enhanced co-marketing support, De Palma said.
“We’re in blitz mode,” he said. “It feels like a startup inside a billion-dollar company. We have the freedom to innovate and the backing to make it count.”
Here is more of what De Palma had to say in an interview with CRN.
OpenText has a large focus on enterprise. How have you adapted to that while staying focused on MSPs?
That was a key question when I came in [in March]. What’s great is that our cybersecurity team, the MSP arm, is pretty siloed—in a good way. We’ve got our own motion, but we also have access to the larger enterprise suite. So if you want a full-blown pen test or remediation, we’ve got those resources ready. But we’re still operating with an MSP-first mindset. And being part of a publicly traded company actually gives us more autonomy than you’d think. We’ve been able to run with things like no contracts, which MSPs love. That flexibility to earn their business every single month is a powerful message and, honestly, something most folks didn’t even know we offered. That’s been a big part of my job: getting out there and changing the perception.
No contracts really stand out in this space. Why was that important to maintain?
It’s huge. Look, I’ve been on the other side—every vendor in the channel is either trying to get acquired or go public. And contracts inflate valuation. But OpenText has been public for a long time, so we don’t have that pressure. That means we can lead with things like 30-day trials across the board. We’re earning trust and revenue every month instead of locking partners into something long term. MSPs appreciate that transparency.
When you joined the company, what did you see in OpenText’s channel strategy that needed transformation?
We’ve got incredible legacy talent; our average account manager has over 10 years of MSP-specific experience. That was refreshing. These aren’t reps that need Channel 101; they get the model. The challenge was unifying our messaging. So many people don’t know OpenText, but they know the companies we’ve acquired: Webroot, Carbonite, Zix, AppRiver, etc. So pulling that all together under a single brand umbrella has been the hard part. We’re still working on that. We’ve got this full security stack now, and we just need people to know it’s all OpenText.
What pain points are partners sharing with you right now?
Flexibility. Everyone talks about vendor sprawl, and yes, having 17 vendors is too much. But the reality is, most MSPs want seven to 10 solid partners, not just one. They want the ability to build their stack how they want it and for that stack to integrate well. So we’re prioritizing flexibility and integrations across the board.
You’ve also been reworking the partner program. What’s changing?
That’s been a full-on rebuild. We’ve spent the last few months talking to MSPs, engaging outside consultants and asking one big question: ‘What’s going to move the needle for you?’ The goal is to launch the new program by August. We’re putting sales enablement front and center: tools, content, co-brandable material. Historically, we haven’t done enough there. Now, the higher your partner tier, the more support you’ll get, especially with things like end-user-facing content and automation.
With so many cybersecurity vendors out there, what makes OpenText’s MSP offering stand out?
We bring enterprise-grade security down to the SMB through the MSP channel. If a customer wants to peek under the hood of our email security stack, guess what, the U.S. government uses it. You can buy a full bundle or go à la carte. Either way, it’s managed through a single pane of glass. Everyone says that phrase, but we back it up with real integrations. And the free trials, those are game-changers. You don’t just try the product to become a partner. You can be five years in and we’ll still set you up with a trial for that new law firm you’re quoting.
So what are you doing to really execute on this vision for channel growth and enablement?
We’re already rolling out enablement documents, doing joint webinars with partners and having more strategic business conversations, not just margin talks, but real ops efficiency discussions. We’ve also got a lot more coming in terms of co-marketing. We’re even training our partners’ teams on how to go to market more effectively. It’s not just about us growing—it’s about them growing with us.
What does OpenText’s partnership with Microsoft mean for MSPs?
Our relationship with Microsoft is deep. We’ve got a team of former Microsoft folks, we handle 98 percent of our tickets in-house and we’re plugged in to their premium support for the rest. We’re working closely on AI adoption too. MSPs say Co-pilot is cool, but it’s pricey. So we’re building sales materials and go-to-market playbooks to help them sell it, not just understand it.
So then how are you approaching AI with MSPs?
It’s one thing to adopt it internally, but MSPs need to make money on it. That means packaging it in a way that serves the client and provides margin. We’re past the break/fix era. We’re past just selling SaaS. Now it’s how do I deliver and monetize AI for my clients? That’s where we’re focused.
What’s on your road map for the next six to 12 months?
Productwise, we just launched EDR, first through RMM [remote monitoring and management] vendors and now rolling it out more broadly. We put a lot of R&D into that, and it’s helping refresh the Webroot perception for people who hadn’t seen what we’ve been building.
But the bigger focus is awareness. This time next year, I want people to walk up to our booth and say, ‘Oh yeah, OpenText. They’ve got a killer stack,’ not, ‘Wait…who are you guys again?’ That means events, road shows, webinars, all of it. We’re in blitz mode.
What’s exciting you most right now about OpenText’s push further into the MSP space?
It feels like a startup inside a billion-dollar company. We’ve got the stability and resources but also the freedom to move fast and innovate. I’ve got direct lines to product and C-levels, and they’re asking, ‘What do MSPs need?’ And they listen. We’re reintroducing a very robust set of tools through the MSP lens, and it’s fun. It’s exciting to lead that charge.
