1. What is OEM and why is this connected with creation of antivirus?
This is a type of partnership, when a developer (we) provides its partner with products, including the opportunity and the right to sell them to partner’s users under the brand of the partner.
2. How does it work with the anti-virus software?
Let’s assume you have your own popular brand making anything but antivirus software (it can be mobile or cable operator, development company or equipment selling etc.). Your users trust you. Using the White Label service (co-branding), you can receive turnkey-ready antivirus under your brand with your design, without having own development team, or the virus laboratory, or professional technical support engineers.
3. Why this method of doing business is popular in the antivirus industry?
Antivirus is a product that is required by ordinary users (whatever they’d tell of it). When selecting a product, the user is looking for a familiar brand, to which he or she is willing to trust. Creation of the anti-virus is a very resource-intensive, costly and lengthy process. In addition, you do not know in advance what the quality of the product you receive. White Label is fast, not expensive, affordable, and most importantly, you know precisely what product features you will get. You can meet with product developers and thoroughly examine the product before starting the White Label procedure. Your product will be exactly the same, but having your name on it.
4. Where OEM field is the most developed in the world?
Basically, it is developed where there is no huge dominance of major global brands, where local brands are popular amongst users. Or in the world of big money, where the largest companies cooperate technologically (which is the essence of White Label).
5. Are there any rules for creating OEM products?
You must understand that you will receive the product “as is”. This is not special development according to your order and no one will develop any unique functionality of the product at your whim without additional significant financial investments. Choose a product that suits you best in price and characteristics and use the most of its advantages during product promotion.
6. What advantages, rights and preferences customer receives?
Why is it difficult to sell the existing anti-virus software (of the known brands)? Because they are sold by everyone. User possesses extensive choice of where (s)he can buy the same program.
White Label gives you the opportunity to offer the product, which no one else has on the market. If someone wants to sell the same product – he or she must work with you. It is not a problem, if product has similar characteristics to any other product – users usually do not get into such details. The main thing is that you had a good product that would suit your customers.
In addition, no one dictates you how to advertise the product, how to distribute it, at what price to sell and so on. You have complete freedom in marketing and sales.
7.What are the financial prospects of such projects?
Given that investments in the project are initially extremely low (the main expenditures are advertising and selling), your prospects depend only on access to your particular audience and how you will promote your product. So, the success of the business is entirely in your hands and 100% dependent on your activity and desire. You don’t have to be neither engineer, nor a specialist in the field of information security, nor computer programmer. All technical issues (like product support, bug fixes, product upgrades, updates of virus databases and virus tests, and so on) will be on the shoulders of the developer.
8. Is there any technical and after-sales support for OEM products?
Antivirus is not just a program. It is a service, above all. It is a twenty-four hours work of a viral lab and engineers of technical support. White Label service cannot be delivered without these services, and they are always included in it.
Yes, you have to organize the so-called “first line of technical support” at your disposition (via telephone, e-mail or any other possible communication methods), because you understand your user much better (especially if there are regional and/or linguistic peculiarities). In addition, in most cases, people address the technical support for the acquisition or renewal of a license – that is exclusively your field of responsibility. All complex technical questions are resolved by technical support of the developer. Also, the developer provides materials (reference, training, etc.) to train your staff of technical support.
