CyberArk Boost Channel Program To Help Companies Recognize Their ‘Cybersecurity Debt’

CyberArk, an identity security solution provider, is making substantial enhancements to its channel partner program, investing in new ways to enhance collaboration and program efficiency, while continuing to improve the overall partner experience.

With 79% of organizations saying they prioritized maintaining business operations over ensuring robust cybersecurity in the last 12 months, CyberArk partners have significant potential to expand their portfolio and deliver market-leading Identity Security solutions to help their customers better address critical security issues, the company said in a press release.

To help clients and prospects understand what CyberArk has labeled “cybersecurity debt,” the company is enhancing training and offering new certifications to deepen partner knowledge. “We’re focusing on enablement across our partners, activating their resources, activating their sellers, activating their technical staff around the concept of the identity security platform,” Chris Moore, Senior Vice President of Global Channels, told CMR.

Upgrades to the program will give partners “all the tools necessary to amp up their marketing capabilities so that they can take cybersecurity message to market,” he continued. CyberArk currently engages partners with a portal build on the Salesforce platform. It is planning to amend support with a third-party solution to provide additional marketing concierge support. Each partner will benefit from a bespoke experience, said Moore, presenting partners with assets, information, and marketing materials related to their market segment.

“That’s our next phase,” he continued, “to make all of the things that we have internally more addressable and easily consumed by our partners. How do they come in? How do they do commerce on our site? How do they find marketing assets and concierge service on our site? How do they find program documentation, legal documentation, all those things on our site? How do we make all of that better?”

Helping Moore with what could be a heavy lift is CyberArk’s recently appointed CMO, Simon Mouyal. Responsible for overseeing global marketing strategy and execution at CyberArk to amplify brand awareness and further extend market leadership, Mouyal has “really embraced the channel and what we’re doing,” said Moore. “He’s really gotten behind our program, making the marketing center in the partner portal a priority.”

Driving Enablement With Centers Of Excellence

Expanded enablement content and tools will help partners consistently deliver best-in-class solutions as will new “centers of excellence” in areas such as marketing, opportunity management and partner relationship management. Other advancements planned for the CyberArk partner portal will improve deal transparency and provide access to deeper data and analytics.

Enhancements around enablement also include specific learning plans for sales, pre-sales and technical certifications, which are designed to engage and reward partners to better support mutual customers, be more influential in their decision making and more focused on delivering services. Additionally, a newly expanded Partner Advisory Council designed to reinforce a “global approach with a regional touch” now better aligns with partners specifically committed to CyberArk’s Identity Security vision.

As partners engage with the program, Moore said he will keep an eye on which who is consuming enablement, taking classes, and achieving sales or technical certifications. But as Moore looks at growth and to whom it can be attributed, he will also be reviewing how his channel program is adding value to the sales cycle. “We look at that quite a bit,” said Moore.