CRN Exclusive: Cloud Security Startup Cavirin Doubles Down On Channel, Debuts Partner Program

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Cavirin hopes to satisfy increased global interest in hybrid cloud security by launching a partner program and shifting to a channel-exclusive sales model.

The Santa Clara, Calif.-based startup said it hopes to have at least 20 solution providers enrolled in its first-ever partner program by the end of 2018, according to Chief Operating Officer Jack Kudale. The program will launch with eight partners across the globe, Kudale said, and build upon the more informal arrangements the company has had with channel partners up until now.

Cavirin's product enhancement rolled out in the spring will make it easier for the company to get partners involved with less education and training, according to Kudale. He expects Cavirin to appeal to regionally-focused MSPs that are looking to build a stronger business around cybersecurity.

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The company's risk and compliance posture offering now takes just 15 minutes to install and 30 minutes for customers to see value, Kudale said. In contrast, the previous generation of Cavirin's product was delivered on premise and lacked workflow and scale, according to Kudale, meaning that the setup could take days or even weeks.

In addition, Kudale said onboarding service providers will now take days rather than weeks or months thanks for infrastructure that the company has recently built out.

The company's partner management platform supports a program that is 100 percent based on deal registration, Kudale said, locking in the best discount level and providing assurance that accounts are protected. The program also offers differentiated security services for resellers, SIs, and MSPs in an effort to simplify security and compliance for organizations of all sizes, according to Kudale.

Cavirin today drives just 20 business of its business through the channel, Kudale said. The company would like to have a majority – and hopefully all – of its business flow through the channel by the end of 2018, according to Kudale, though existing customers will continue to have the option of being serviced directly.

The company has grown its headcount from 60 people at the start of the year to more than 75 employees today, Kudale said, with all of the new hires in go-to-market roles such as territory leaders, account leaders, partner account managers, and channel program managers.

The boost in headcount should provide Cavirin with the messaging and capacity needed to support a larger channel outreach, Kudale said. Commission for territory leaders have been set to align with supporting sales through the channel, according to Kudale.

Cavirin has a plan in place to build a $100 million annual run rate business by 2022, Kudale said. But in order to achieve that, Kudale said the company is going to need scale that simply isn't possible through a direct sales model.

Scalar has been taking advantage of Cavirin's security and compliance offerings for nearly a year, and has been impressed by the company's ability to quickly make modifications to products to satisfy the compliance needs of customers, according to Simon Wong, a security specialist with the Toronto-based company, No. 95 on the 2017 CRN Solution Provider 500.

"That's your barrier to sale, and they've overcome that very quickly," Wong told CRN. "They've behaving like a nimble company."

Wong said Cavirin's launch of a global partner program should make it easier for the company to expose and enable multiple audience within a channel partner such as a security team as well as a cloud services team. And Wong said the company's push to boost its global footprint given the European Union's adoption of the GDPR regulatory framework.

"It's a great technology," Wong said. "This is an emerging space, and I'm glad they're getting global channel reach."