Accelerating channel growth: Barracuda’s modernized partner program

Empowering partners with unified programs, enhanced incentives and AI-driven tools

Takeaways

• Barracuda has modernized its global Partner Success Program to support how today’s partners operate.
• The program empowers MSPs, resellers and other channel partners with expanded benefits, enhanced certification curriculum and a flexible rebate structure.
• A new partner portal and dedicated partner success teams make it easier for partners to thrive in a rapidly evolving ecosystem.
• All routes to market — including resale, managed services and cloud — are supported under one program umbrella, simplifying participation and maximizing partner success.

Barracuda is raising the bar for channel partners, MSPs and resellers with the launch of our modernized global Partner Success Program. This unified and flexible program is designed to accelerate partner growth and boost profitability through expanded benefits, new incentives and a refreshed rebate structure.

With an enhanced certification curriculum, dedicated partner success teams and a new next-generation partner portal, Barracuda is making it easier than ever for partners to build expertise, differentiate their services and deliver stronger cybersecurity outcomes. In this Q&A, Michelle Hodges, SVP of Global Channel and Alliances, shares how these updates empower partners to succeed in a rapidly evolving channel ecosystem.

Q&A with Michelle Hodges, SVP of Global Channel and Alliances

How will Barracuda’s modernized Partner Success Program help partners?

At its core, partner success starts with truly understanding how partners operate today. The modern channel is complex — partners are simultaneously supporting resale, managed services, cloud, and hybrid models. Our Partner Success Program is intentionally built to meet partners where they are, rather than forcing them into a single go-to-market motion.

We’ve aligned the right enablement, tools and systems to help partners grow in ways that make sense for their business while delivering strong cybersecurity outcomes for customers. And we’ve spent a lot of time listening. With AI-driven threats accelerating, customers rely on their MSPs and channel partners more than ever. Our program is designed to help partners stay ahead of those threats, simplify engagement and build scalable, profitable practices. Ultimately, we succeed only when our partners do, and this program reflects that belief.

What is your goal for the Partner Success Program?

At Barracuda, we strive to be what I call a destination program — a place partners choose because it drives profitability, proficiency, efficiency, and customer success. There are five areas that we're going to do this with. First and foremost, the program; a completely revamped sales and technical enablement approach; a refined communications cadence, calendar and mechanisms; a focus on growth and strategic engagement; and then a brand new, modern partner experience.

What do you as the most impactful updates for partners?

One of the most meaningful changes is bringing resale, MSP services and support together under a single Partner Success Program. Our partners don’t operate in just one motion, and our program shouldn’t either.  Customers have more choice than ever in how they consume technology, so our program must reflect that reality.

A unified program with a single tier structure creates clarity and consistency while still recognizing the different ways partners go to market.  Within that structure, we’ve clearly defined benefits across both resale and MSP tracks, all anchored around what matters most to partners: driving new business growth and expanding recurring MSP billing.

We’ve also refreshed our approach to business planning and executive reviews to ensure we’re having more strategic, forward-looking conversations with our partners. Additionally, we’re introducing a more formal services and support structure, along with a simplified incentive model.

How is the certification program changing?

We've completely updated all of what we're now calling BarracudaONE certifications, which are live and available now, and they all start with a focus on learning about the platform. Plus, all sales and technical individuals are able to dive deeper with a brand-new program called the Barracuda Mastery program, which provides badges for different product pillars. They're designed to help partners differentiate themselves and their teams out in the market. We have both sales and technical badges, and then we're continuing the Partner Sales Engineer Community.

How important is partner engagement to Barracuda??

We’ve streamlined our communications to make it easier for partners to focus on what drives their business forward. This includes a monthly Partner Pulse newsletter, customized by region. We also host partner academy sessions tailored by persona — sales, technical and programmatic.  To tie it all together, we hold quarterly partner all-hands where we share strategic updates.

We’re committed to a model focused on growth and strategic engagement, enabling us to partner deeply with MSPs and resellers who want to invest in Barracuda. We want to unlock new opportunities in the market together and foster long-term success. This includes enablement initiatives like the newly revamped monthly co-sell events, expanded field support, partner-ready sales kits, and business planning resources, all designed to help partners grow their businesses with confidence.

One of the reasons I joined Barracuda is our purpose-built MSP platform, which treats MSPs as true partners rather than just as customers. I’m proud of the strong, collaborative culture we’ve built, and we’re leveraging AI and automation to make those relationships even stronger. It’s a human-powered program, enhanced by AI, where innovation and teamwork drive shared success.

How does the new partner portal improve partner experience?

The next-generation partner portal introduces an industry-leading partner experience. When partners enter the portal, it will be their landing page with everything in one place, from onboarding and certifications to newsletters, enablement materials, checking the status of marketing development funds, and deal registration. Partners can also get directly to the BarracudaONE platform directly from the portal, so they’ve got everything in one spot, based on their persona.