CRN Exclusive: Proficio Uses Private Equity Investment To Boost Channel Commitment, Revamps Partner Program, Hires New Channel Chief

Managed security service provider Proficio is stepping up its commitment to the channel this month by revamping its partner program and hiring channel veteran Lee Sher as its new senior director of channel sales.

"We have always believed that having a strong channel element to our business is important, and these additions will allow us to capitalize on that channel element," John Humphreys, senior vice president of business development and alliances at Proficio said in an interview with CRN.

Thanks to a recent $12 million private equity investment from Kayne Capital, Humphreys said Proficio is expanding its offerings for partners, boosting its Synergy Partner Program, with increased focus and wider margins.

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The company will back its program with regional sales and technical teams, providing partners with a recurring revenue model, collaborative sales engagement, deal registration, co-marketing support and training programs. All new initiatives that will be led by Sher, the Carlsbad, Calif.-based company’s new channel chief.

Sher brings over two decades of experience to the role, previously managing partner sales at companies including Check Point, Fortinet, Imperva, Solutionary/NTT and Bay Dynamics.

"We are lucky to have someone with extensive leadership experience in both security and sales … having great people in place is part of the challenge," Humphreys said.

Humphreys said the timing for this channel-focused overhaul is perfect, explaining that the demand for managed security services, like the ones offered by Proficio, is growing across a number of markets because both security threats and mandated compliances are expanding.

"In recent years, we’ve seen more organizations expressing deep concerns over security and compliance than at any other point in our company’s history," Steve Stumpfl, vice president of sales at Tevora, a Proficio partner said in a statement.

Building a solution that can tackle so much is a difficult task for many solution providers focused on all the other aspects of their clients' environments. Humphreys said building a complete security solution is even more difficult if one accounts for how hard to come by qualified security specialists are in today’s hiring environment.

"We are seeing a perfect storm ... Partners are keen to get involved." he said.

Humphreys said the company's channel would be focused and simple because that is what partners want. He said the program would steer clear of confusing tiers and complicated mandatory requirements. Instead, it would provide margins that are 20 to 25 percent more that what other MSSPs offer their partners. He added that those margins would be consistent, and not taper annually, the way other some other MSSP’s margins do.

"Channel partnerships are a key part of our growth strategy, and our goal is to make Proficio’s program the most partner-friendly in the industry," he said.