Today, cybersecurity has become a top priority for organizations of all sizes and sectors. Cyber threats are becoming increasingly complex and sophisticated, leading businesses to turn to cybersecurity vendors for innovative solutions to protect their sensitive data. However, in the ever-changing world of cybersecurity, no single vendor can address these challenges alone, which is where strategic partnerships come in. Following its recent Global Partner Conference in Budapest, Kaspersky Lab shared insights on cybersecurity partnerships from the partners themselves.
Insight #1: Strategic partnerships in cybersecurity benefit all parties involved: vendors, partners, and customers.
Cybersecurity partners play a vital role in the cybersecurity ecosystem. Partnering together gives global vendors the opportunity to share expertise, educate clients on cyber hygiene, and protect businesses worldwide. Thus, customers around the world can leverage the expertise and resources of vendors through partner networks to strengthen their cybersecurity posture and better protect against evolving threats.
The best way to explain the benefits to our partners is for them to do so themselves. In April, we held the Global Partner Conference in Budapest, Hungary, and 100 Kaspersky Lab partners from over 40 countries attended. During the conference, we held a Partner Awards Ceremony. Sebastian Rebollar, CEO of QuickSurprise, Argentina, Winner of the “Partner of the Year” award I had no choice but to say it.
“For us, the key to a successful partnership is close alignment and alignment with the vendor's market strategy. Understanding the vendor's objectives allows us to take precise and effective actions, which leads to successful business development. Kaspersky's program allows us to increase the knowledge level in both our IT and sales teams, which allows us to make more informed proposals on cybersecurity solutions.”
Carlos Araújo López, CIO and CISO of Grupo Sermicro in Spain, wins MSP Partner of the Year award At the meeting, he added:
“Kaspersky's Partner Program is a true win-win proposition, providing the best technology and comprehensive support to generate business. Sermicro receives the resources and training to effectively engage with customers, educate them about cybersecurity threats and promote Kaspersky's solutions. Both Sermicro and Kaspersky recognize the importance of transparency in managing opportunities arising from new projects. This transparency fosters trust, open communication and aligned goals, enabling both parties to work together effectively to achieve success.”
Insight #2: A tailored approach to each partner is essential for successful collaboration.
Partners such as resellers, distributors, system integrators, VARs, MSPs, and MSSPs serve as trusted advisors and valuable allies in the fight against cyber threats. As the number of partners increases, complex partnership structures require a more tailored approach that covers the needs and expectations of each type of partner. Therefore, all global cybersecurity vendors should consider tailoring their partner programs to their partners' business models. For example, Kaspersky made the following updates to its United Partner Program in early 2024: With this improvement, four separate streams focused on business models are now available for those who sell, deploy, or provide managed services or build solutions using the vendor's products.
Regional support and strategies also contribute to a holistic, customized approach: any decision maker knows that maintaining a global company footprint requires customizing business strategies to meet the needs and circumstances of each region.
“When incorporating cybersecurity technologies into our portfolio, we consider not only the vendor's brand image and competitive product pricing, but also local manufacturer support. Having a local manufacturer presence means we can receive fast and effective support if we have any issues or technical questions.” “We are excited to join forces with Grupo Sermicro to help accelerate our transformation,” said Carlos Araújo López, CIO and CISO, Grupo Sermicro.“Moreover, direct communication with our international product managers allows us to directly communicate market needs and feedback, ensuring that our technology evolves to meet our customers' demands and effectively address their specific security challenges and requirements. In summary, we prioritize Kaspersky as it ticks all the parameters we need in a cybersecurity partnership.”
Insight #3: Support and engagement are essential to successful partnerships.
Strong sales, marketing, and technical support are critical in any cybersecurity partnership, and the extensive partner support offered by vendors ensures partners have all the resources they need to be successful.
“We are excited to be working with Grupo Sermicro to bring our technology to market,” said Carlos Araújo López, CIO and CISO of Grupo Sermicro.We feel that we have 100% support from Kaspersky in all our efforts to introduce this technology to our customers. Sermicro has access to marketing funds, technical expertise, sales assistance, marketing resources and support to reach a wider customer base. Semicro is grateful for Kaspersky's unwavering support in our efforts to introduce this technology to our customers.”
They were joined by Sebastien Rebollard, CEO of QuikSurprise. “Furthermore, Kaspersky's support in events and demand generation has significantly increased our lead conversion rate. Collaboration with Kaspersky has been crucial to the success of our recent projects, highlighting the excellent coordination between management, sales and technical teams. We are honored to receive the Partner of the Year award from Kaspersky, which is the result of great joint efforts during a complex year for Argentina, allowing us to sell and implement one of the largest projects in one of the most important institutions of the Argentine government.”
The conclusion is, Inna Nazarova, Head of Channels at Kaspersky “At Kaspersky, we recognize the immense contribution our partners make in helping organizations navigate the complex cybersecurity environment. Through our Kaspersky United partner program, we provide our partners with extensive training, marketing support, co-selling opportunities and cutting-edge cybersecurity solutions.” She added: “By leveraging our partners' expertise and global reach, customers can enjoy our leading products, such as the latest Kaspersky Next product line and SD-WAN, as well as a wide range of services, anywhere in the world, with localized support in their time zone and native language. Together with our partners, we are committed to providing unparalleled cybersecurity protection and helping organizations stay one step ahead of cyber threats.”
As we look to the future of cybersecurity, it's clear that partnerships, innovation and sustainability will continue to drive progress in the industry. By working together, cybersecurity vendors, their partners and customers can create a safer and more secure digital world for all.
