The Top Midmarket IT Vendor Executives For 2017

Prakash Panjwani, CEO, WatchGuard Technologies, Inc.

The security industry is naturally fast-paced, as hackers and vendors compete in the cat-and-mouse game of threats and solutions. This also drives a level of start ups and innovation that is unparalleled in other areas of technology. And these start ups are naturally tempted to go after large enterprises, since they perceive the threats to be highest for larger companies. The fact is that threats (and hackers) no longer distinguish by company size. If anything, midmarket companies are more vulnerable, as one breach can sink their brand image and it can be hard for them to ever fully recover.

"When I got to WatchGuard, one of the very first things I did was to establish a clear mission, which is to bring enterprise-grade security to small and mid-market organizations in a way that is widely deployable (i.e., simple and cost-effective)," said Pranjwani. "Today, that mission drives every action we take. That includes products we develop, companies we acquire, and as 100 percent channel-focused company, the partners we attract. Our partners love that focus as they have seen us deliver new, innovative security products for midmarket companies every quarter for the last two years, allowing them to increase their value to the end customer."