CRN Exclusive: RiskIQ Revamps Channel Program, Aims To Bring 'Greenfield' Security Opportunity To Partners

RiskIQ will debut an enhanced channel partner program in April to help spur delivery of the company's suite of security offerings, which focus on stopping threats coming from web, social and mobile.

These external threats — which include ransomware, phishing, malvertising and social impersonation — are seeing massive growth as companies invest heavily in going digital.

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And RiskIQ is rare in having a comprehensive platform for tackling external digital threats, as many security vendors only offer point solutions, said Barry Cooper, vice president of marketing and corporate communications at Fishtech, a Martin City, Mo.-based ​RiskIQ partner.

"They really have stepped into this niche, and really have built the pre-eminent platform in their area," Cooper said.

San Francisco-based RiskIQ offers a digital threat management platform for companies to understand digital threats, reduce their digital attack surface, identify direct attacks and mitigate threats.

"Most channel partners don't have a full digital threat management solution in their portfolio," said Scott Gordon, chief marketing officer at RiskIQ, told CRN. "It's still a greenfield opportunity in many cases. It's a way to not only get new customers, but to re-engage with current customers who are going digital."

RiskIQ plans to roll out its updates channel program in late April with enhancements including increased profit margins for partners and a new partner portal featuring simplified deal registration, Gordon said.

In addition, partners for the first time will be enable to distribute a free version of RiskIQ's Software-as-a-Service, RiskIQ Community Edition, to their customers, he said.

RiskIQ will provide a unique key code to each partner for distributing the software so that partners can "immediately allow prospects and customers to fully use the product before they buy," Gordon said. "There's then a migration path from the Community Edition to the Premium and Enterprise Editions."

The RiskIQ Community Edition debuted in mid-February.

RiskIQ, founded in 2009, originally launched its channel program about three years ago and most recently updated the program this past July, he said.

The company has 25 partners in the U.S. and is interested in adding new partners, Gordon said. The "vast majority" of RiskIQ's revenue is generated through the channel, he noted.

Fishtech's Cooper applauded the margin and deal registration enhancements to the RiskIQ partner program.

He also said that allowing partners to distribute the RiskIQ Community Edition is "a great way to get sticky" with customers. "It's difficult for an organization to say, 'This is a product we can do without' once they see value," Cooper said.

Overall, he said, RiskIQ has "built this channel program with their partners in mind."

RiskIQ has 150 employees and is backed by $65.5 million in funding, from investors including Summit Partners, Battery Ventures and Georgian Partners. The company raised its $30.5 million Series C round in November.