Centrify Corporation, specialist in unified identity services across the datacentre, cloud and mobile, today announced it has doubled the its headcount in EMEA and increased its channel partner base by 139 percent the last six months.
The vendor has recruited 46 new partners across the region, including Nebulas, Quru, Somerford Associates, SecurityMatterz and AT Computers in the UK.
It has also introduced a dedicated sales team for its Identity-as-a-Service (IDaaS) unit, as well as the appointment of key executives, including Kamel Heus as its new regional sales manager.
Fuelled by what it describes as “explosive demand” for mobile and cloud based security, Centrify says it is keen to capitalise on the appetite for IDaaS. “As businesses take a more mobile-centric approach to work, managing corporate data is becoming problematic. Given that mobile devices are predominantly used for accessing apps, Centrify is addressing identity needs for both on-premise and cloud environments, and looking to further expand its partner base with specialist cloud integrators and enablers,” says EMEA director, Darren Gross.
“Traditional identity and access management software is no longer the only answer as the trend for cloud-based security services soar,” he adds. “A recent poll conducted by Centrify showed that 94 percent of IT security professionals are now using third party apps on their mobile. With so many apps being accessed across a multitude of platforms, there is now a greater need for unified, secure identity across your on-premise and cloud-based resources. The demand for these services has enabled us to expand our team and our reach across EMEA, and will be instrumental in our future growth,” adds Darren Gross.
Nebulas managing director Nick Garlick believs that as security becomes more complex, the ability to manage and secure information across multiple devices means that organisations are having to rethink their security strategy. “Centrify's approach to unified identity and the ability to provide streamlined security across platforms both in the cloud and on-premise fits perfectly with our existing security portfolio,” he adds. “More importantly, it fits with our customers and reflects their change in priorities as organisations become more mobile.”
Centrify recently announced $42m in funding from strategic investors Samsung Ventures, Fortinet Inc. and NTT DOCOMO Capital, and says its partnership with Samsung to provide key enabling technology for Samsung’s KNOX mobile platform, will continue to bolster its strategic growth in EMEA.
