Zyxel has created a new platform that makes it easier for partners to bring all license renewals together in one place, add more value, and get closer to customers, as Kevin Drinkall, EMEA Wireless and Cloud Market Development Manager at Zyxel, explains.
Added-value service
Managing license renewals is almost always a job that the customer leaves to their trusted partner, which makes perfect sense for them and enables the reseller or MSP to offer an on-going, value added service.
For some time now we have had a platform called MyZyxel, which allows our partners to register devices and activate services for customers online at any time. This is extremely flexible and really useful, as it provides a simple way to renew and update licenses.
However, customers that have multiple products won’t have purchased them all at the same time. As a result, they will have multiple license renewal dates. This can make things a little complicated, as Someone has to keep track of renewal dates and keep going back onto the MyZyxel platform to update them. It can become quite intricate if – as it’s often the case – different individuals have completed the registration for different products. As a result, it was always possible that a renewal date might be missed now and then.
Keeping track
To make it easier for our partners to keep track of customer license renewals, we have now created Circle.
Circle sits in front of the MyZyxel platform and allows you to bring all devices, registrations, and renewals together in one place. You can organise products into groups and bring together licences renewal dates. You can register and activate products and licenses through the platform. You can also – and this is perhaps the biggest advantage for partners – unify the renewal dates for individual customers – or for different product groups, departments, divisions or locations, or any other criteria you wish to use.
You can also search for devices on the network, get a complete history of a product, and see when it was purchased and when licenses were activated and renewed.
For partners, another very useful feature we’re making available with Circle is the ability to pay for licenses on a credit card and activate them immediately. You will still be able to go via distribution and activate licenses using a key, but the immediate payment and activation option will provide added flexibility, especially for urgent or project work.
Getting closer
With Circle, everything is brought together in one place. It is much easier to organise and manage your customers’ Zyxel license renewals. That’s going to save our partners a lot of time. With Circle, you can be certain that you won’t miss notifications when renewals are due – and that’s especially good news for resellers and MSPs who have customers that are adopting Zyxel products right across the network.
It will also eventually extend to tie in neatly with Nebula, as our cloud management system enables you can monitor and manage all those Zyxel products remotely. With Circle, you can offer a more complete managed service, add more value, and get even closer to your customers.
The introduction of Circle is part of a longer-term plan to streamline all Zyxel licensing. Initially, license renewals for security products can be managed through Circle, with switching and wireless products for business to be added soon. There will be further developments over the course of this year. If you have any questions, please get in touch with your Zyxel account manager.