Bitdefender's Unbroken Streak: 11 Years a CRN 5-Star Channel Leader

NEW YORK, NY – March 04, 2026 – Global cybersecurity leader Bitdefender has once again solidified its reputation as a channel-first organization, earning a 5-star rating in the 2026 CRN® Partner Program Guide. The distinction, awarded by CRN, a brand of The Channel Company, marks the eleventh consecutive year that Bitdefender’s Partner Advantage Network has received the guide's highest honor, a rare achievement in the fast-evolving technology sector.

This sustained recognition is not merely a testament to a single year's performance but reflects a long-term, strategic commitment to the thousands of managed service providers (MSPs), value-added resellers (VARs), and systems integrators that form the backbone of its global go-to-market strategy. The CRN guide serves as a critical benchmark for solution providers, evaluating vendors on the comprehensive strength of their programs—from training and enablement to profitability and marketing support.

“Being included in the 2026 CRN Partner Program Guide reflects how today’s technology vendors are rethinking their partner programs to keep pace with a rapidly evolving channel,” said Jennifer Follett, vice president, U.S. content, and executive editor of CRN.

A Decade of Dominance in Channel Excellence

Achieving a 5-star rating from CRN is a significant accomplishment, reserved for programs that demonstrate exceptional value and a deep investment in partner success. Maintaining that elite status for over a decade points to a deeply embedded channel-centric culture at Bitdefender. CRN's rigorous evaluation process scrutinizes every facet of a partner program, including pre-and post-sales support, technical assistance, marketing resources, and ongoing communication.

For Bitdefender, this eleven-year streak signifies a consistent ability to adapt and enhance its program in lockstep with the needs of its partners and the demands of the cybersecurity landscape. In an industry defined by rapid change and escalating threats, this longevity provides partners with a sense of stability and confidence. The program is built around the Bitdefender GravityZone platform, a unified security and risk management console that empowers partners to deliver a suite of services, from endpoint protection to managed detection and response (MDR).

Evolving the Partnership with Tangible Enhancements

Throughout 2025, Bitdefender demonstrated its commitment to evolution by rolling out a series of significant enhancements to its Partner Advantage Network, many of which were directly influenced by partner feedback. These updates were designed to increase profitability, reduce administrative friction, and provide greater flexibility for partners delivering value-added services.

A key development was the introduction of a new, top-tier Platinum level, created to recognize and reward the company's highest-performing partners with exclusive benefits, priority support, and enhanced margins. This move provides a clear path for growth and incentivizes deeper engagement.

Furthermore, the company overhauled its Deal Registration process, simplifying the system to shorten sales cycles and reduce administrative burdens. The revamped process, a direct response to partner requests, eliminates the need for detailed product configurations upfront and removes re-approval requirements for minor deal changes, allowing partners to move with greater agility.

The Not for Resale (NFR) program was also expanded significantly. All partners gained access to Bitdefender’s full suite of security solutions for internal use and demonstrations, while MSPs received access to the company's MDR services. This empowers partners to deepen their own technical expertise and more effectively showcase the real-world value of Bitdefender's technology to their customers.

“Channel partners are on the front lines of cybersecurity, helping organizations stop threats, reduce risk and meet compliance requirements in an increasingly complex threat landscape,” said Nathan Adams, senior director, channel partners, North America, at Bitdefender. “Earning CRN’s 5-Star rating for the eleventh consecutive year reflects our continued commitment to equipping partners with the technology and resources they need to succeed.”

Arming the Front Lines with Advanced Technology

A world-class partner program is only as strong as the technology it represents. In 2025, Bitdefender armed its partners with a formidable expansion of the GravityZone platform, launching several innovative solutions designed to address emerging threat vectors and expand service offerings.

GravityZone PHASR (Proactive Hardening and Attack Surface Reduction) was introduced as an industry-first solution that moves security from a reactive to a proactive posture. It analyzes individual user behavior to dynamically tailor security hardening policies, aiming to reduce the available attack surface by up to 95% by identifying and restricting risky or unused applications and tools for each employee.

To help organizations gain comprehensive visibility, the company launched GravityZone EASM (External Attack Surface Management). This agentless solution scans and maps all of an organization's internet-facing assets—including shadow IT—to identify vulnerabilities and misconfigurations before attackers can exploit them.

Bitdefender also addressed the challenge of data silos with GravityZone Data Lake, a cloud-delivered solution that combines the capabilities of a SIEM with a data lake. It allows security teams to consolidate, normalize, and analyze security data from across their entire environment, including third-party tools, providing unified visibility for more effective threat detection and response.

These additions provide Bitdefender partners with powerful, differentiated offerings that address the most pressing security challenges faced by modern businesses, reinforcing the synergy between partner enablement and technological innovation.