Sophos Seller guide

Introduction

This article provides essential information for Sellers about managing Sophos subscriptions through the Platform. It explains the Sophos integration model, including Seller registration processes, Customer Organization setup, Subscription management workflows, and the invoice-based pricing structure. The guide outlines how to onboard Sellers with existing Sophos accounts and how the Platform synchronizes Subscriptions and billing information from Sophos.

In this article:

• Understanding Sophos Integration Basics
• Enabling Sophos for a new Distributor
• Seller Onboarding for Sophos
• Subscription Management
• Pricing and Invoicing

Understanding Sophos Integration Basics

Sophos operates through an invoice-based integration model within the Platform. The Platform synchronizes subscription and customer data from Sophos on a monthly basis to ensure accurate billing and reporting.

Key components:

• One-Way Integration: The Platform retrieves invoice-related information, subscriptions, and customer data from Sophos. Platform data does not influence the Sophos system
• Contract Management: Sellers must have pre-existing Partner Tenant IDs in the Sophos ecosystem before onboarding to the Platform
• Automatic Synchronization: Monthly synchronization occurs on the 26th of each month when Sophos Invoice Reports become available

Distributor onboarding for Sophos

Before a Distributor can offer Sophos products through the Platform, the Distributor must already be registered with Sophos as a Distributor in the Sophos ecosystem. Once registered, a Sophos Contract is created in the Platform and linked to the Distributor's Organization using their Sophos Distributor ID.

Step 1: Register with Sophos

The Distributor registers as a Distributor with Sophos directly. After registration is approved by Sophos, the Distributor receives a unique Sophos Distributor ID. This ID will be used to link the Distributor to the Sophos Contract in the Platform.

Step 2: Information needed for Platform setup

Before creating the Sophos Contract in the Platform, the following information is required:

Step 3: Appxite creates the Distributor in the Platform with above information for Sophos Vendor

High-level enablement flow

Seller Onboarding for Sophos

The Platform provides option for enabling Sellers to offer Sophos products, accommodating the sellers with existing Sophos partner relationships.

To include Sophos products in a Seller's catalog, a valid Sophos Contract between the Vendor and Seller must be added. This can be done during by editing existing Seller contracts in the Platform.

Add Existing Contract

For Sellers who already have an established partner tenant in the Sophos ecosystem (typically from prior business relationships), you can link their existing Sophos account to the Platform.

Prerequisites:

• Seller has an existing Sophos Partner Tenant ID (UUID) from previous Sophos partnership
• Access to the Sophos Partner Tenant ID

Steps to add existing Contract:

1. Navigate to Sellers list in Distributor Portal
   

   Click on Edit Info
   

2. Select Sophos as the Vendor
   
3. Choose Add Existing Contract option
   
4. Enter the existing Partner Tenant ID (UUID) in the provided field
   
5. Click Validate to verify the entered value
   

The system verifies the Partner Tenant ID through the Sophos API and links it to the Seller's Platform account. If verification is successful, the Partner Tenant ID is stored as an External ID, connecting the Seller's existing Sophos partnership to their Platform account.

NOTE! If verification shows a discrepancy, the Platform displays an error message with the reason for failure. Common errors include invalid Partner Tenant ID format or Partner Tenant ID not found in Sophos system.

 

6. Once validated successfully, the Seller can begin selling Sophos offers through the Platform

Enabling Sophos for Sellers

Once a Seller is onboarded with their existing Sophos Contract, their Sophos integration is automatically enabled in the Platform. The Seller can:

• View synchronized Sophos Subscriptions from their Sophos account
• Access Sophos invoice and usage data
• Monitor Customer Organizations with Sophos Subscriptions

Subscription Management

The Platform provides visibility into Sophos Subscriptions through automatic monthly synchronization. All Subscription creation and management activities must be performed directly in the Sophos system.

Monthly synchronization and Customer mapping

Each month, an automated job synchronizes Sophos data into the Platform. This section explains what happens during the sync, how Customers are mapped between systems, and what action is required when a new Customer appears in Sophos that is not yet known to the Platform.

What happens during the monthly sync

The Platform maintains automatic synchronization between the Sophos system and the Platform:

• Invoice data: Invoice information is retrieved via API on the 27th of each month, when Sophos Invoice Reports become available.
• Subscription mirroring: All Subscriptions existing on the Sophos side are automatically mirrored to the Platform.
• Customer mapping: Customer Organizations are synchronized and mapped between Sophos and the Platform.
• Subscription status: Active, suspended, and cancelled statuses are reflected in the Platform.

How Customer mapping works

Each Sophos Customer account must be linked to a Customer Organization in the Platform. During the monthly sync, the Platform checks each Sophos Customer and decides one of the following outcomes:

Customer mapping flow

Completing a Customer mapping manually

When a Sophos Customer appears that is not yet linked to any Customer Organization in the Platform, the Support must complete the mapping so that the Subscription can be imported on the next sync.

Viewing Subscriptions

Sellers can view their synchronized Sophos Subscriptions in the Platform:

1. Navigate to the Customer's Organization page
2. View the list of Sophos Subscriptions associated with that Customer
3. Access billing and usage information from synchronized invoices

Cancelling Subscriptions

Cancellation Rules:

• Customer-Level Subscriptions: Can only be cancelled by the Distributor Admin
• Reseller-Level Subscriptions: Can only be cancelled by the Distributor Admin
• Sellers and Customers: Cannot directly cancel Sophos Subscriptions through the Platform UI

To request a subscription cancellation, Sellers must either contact the Distributor Administrator or submit a support request. Cancelling a subscription within the Platform only affects its visibility on the Seller’s Subscription page; the Distributor Administrator must still complete the cancellation on the Sophos Platform.

Pricing and Invoicing

Sophos follows an invoice-based pricing model where all pricing information is provided directly through Sophos invoices rather than being configured in the Platform.

Pricing Structure

Offer Pricing:

• The Platform does not create or maintain Sophos prices
• All Sophos offers are displayed in the Platform with a price of 0.00
• Actual pricing is visible only on the invoices received from Sophos

Invoice Synchronization

The Platform automatically retrieves and processes Sophos invoices on a monthly basis:

How It Works:

1. On the 26th of each month, Sophos generates Invoice Reports
2. The Platform is automatically triggered to sync Subscriptions and Customers
3. Invoices are parsed via API and created in the Platform based on information sent by Sophos
4. All Subscription and Customer data is updated to mirror the current state in Sophos

Key Characteristics:

Limitations

• Pre-Existing Requirements: The Platform only syncs existing Customers and Sellers. Partner Tenant IDs must be pre-created on the Sophos Platform before onboarding to this Platform
• One-Way Integration: The Platform retrieves information from Sophos but does not send data back. Platform changes do not influence the Sophos system
• No Contract Creation: There is no option to create new Sophos Contracts through the Platform. Only existing Contracts can be linked
• Pricing Visibility: Offer prices are not displayed in the Platform catalog. Pricing information is only available through invoices
• Customer Migration: Customer Organizations with existing Sophos Subscriptions outside the Platform require manual review and intervention before integration

Summary

This guide explains the invoice-based Sophos integration within the Platform, where Sellers with existing Sophos partnerships can access synchronized subscription and billing data. The Platform operates as a system that mirrors Subscriptions, Customers, and invoices from Sophos on a monthly basis. All pricing information is provided through Sophos invoices rather than Platform offer pricing, and Subscription management activities must be performed directly in the Sophos system. The integration is one-way, with data flowing from Sophos to the Platform without reverse synchronization.

Related Content

• How to create new Seller?
• Onboarding Contracts for Sellers