Network security vendor ForeScout Technologies has outlined its plans for pushing further into the large enterprise market as part of its plans to grab UK market share.
“We will need to bolster that if we want to hit our aggressive targets,” John Hagerty, EMEA director for channels and strategic alliances, tells Channel Pro.
ForeScout currently has 200 channel partners globally, with 12 partners in the UK, including 2014 signings BlueFort Security and LAN3.
However as part of this push, the vendor is looking further up the channel food chain with plans to recruit more large VARs and systems integrators, with Hagerty revealing it is currently on-boarding a “well-known” UK systems integrator.
“What’s changed this year is that we have a healthy pipeline of SIs that are very interested in working with us,” says the exec. “It’s a significant change for us. [In the past] we’ve been knocking on doors and it’s been difficult to get traction – this year we're seeing much more interest. You’ll see some very well-known names on the list so far.
“The maturity of the market is a huge driver,” says Hagerty. “This is reflected in the size of deals and companies we’re working with.”
“It’s changed from three years ago,” adds Jan Hof, ForeScout’s international marketing director. [Pervasive network security] is becoming a central part of next generation security architecture.”
Hof quotes an IDG Connect report, State of IT Defence Cyber Maturity, which claims 96 percent of companies questioned have experienced one or more significant incidents, and more than 60 percent lack network and endpoint visibility.
“We can provide visibility of what applications are running on the network, and the tools to put automated policies in place,” says Hof, who stresses that organisations can use their existing IT infrastructure. “They don’t need to invest in new appliances...This provides a breakthrough for end users with limited budgets.”
ForeScout’s CounterACT network security platform offers organisations network visibility, access control, endpoint compliance, mobile security and threat management. In addition, the firm’s ControlFabric architecture enables CounterACT to work with other network, security and management systems, such as those from its technology partners Symantec, McAfee and Palo Alto, to address a range of operational issues and cyber threats.
The vendor – which operates a hundred percent channel sales model – is also working more closely with Gold partners Foursys and Full Control Networks, and wants to see a minimum of four Gold partners in 2015.
“90 percent of business is done with ten partners, or 70 percent from the top five. We won’t have 50-plus partners – that’s not appropriate for the direction we’re heading, or the market we’re in,” says Hagerty.
Although it says it's unable to provide specific UK growth figures, the Campbell, California-based vendor says it has experienced 40 percent year-on-year worldwide growth.
“We’ve been investing heavily in headcount. This time last year sales team had hybrid direct and channel roles. It is now a focused channel team,” says Hagarty.
2014 also saw ForeScout add an online exam for technical training, and it’s currently working on a new formal sales training certification that’s expected at the end of year.
