As part of an effort to increase the amount of security expertise in the channel, Tufin added a Service Delivery Partner Program to its mix of channel programs.
The goal of the program, launched this week, is to enable partners to drive more professional services revenue by making it possible for them to manage firewalls from vendors such as Cisco, Palo Alto, and Check Point Software using management and orchestration software from Tufin, says Mike Menegay, vice president of global channels for Tufin.
Menegay, a long-time channel chief veteran, took over the reins of the Tufin channel last month.
At a time when cybersecurity expertise is in short supply, the new program creates an opportunity for Tufin partners to get certified on the more advanced aspects of cybersecurity being provided by Tufin. This program creates an avenue for partners to develop managed security services to fill in that skills gap using professional services they provide, says Menegay.
“They should be able to increase services attach rates,” says Menegay.
The program has two tiers. A Service Delivery tier ensures partners can deploy the Tufin SecureTrack and SecureChange offering and are capable of configuring, troubleshooting, and maintaining the Tufin Orchestration Suite in production environments. A second, Service Delivery Plus tier, certifies the partner can additionally support the Tufin Orchestration Suite customizations, including custom reports, third-party application programming interface (API) integrations, automatic import functions, Unified Security Policy configurations, and scripted conditions.
In addition to the Service Delivery Partner certifications, Tufin partners participating in the program also gain access to professional services referral opportunities, become members of Tufin’s virtual services delivery bench, access to Tufin best practices and tools, exclusive roadmap reviews, workshops, and direct access to Level 2 support.
Channel partners generate most of their profits from services. The challenge with cybersecurity is that attaining the skills needed to deliver those services requires a significant amount of time, effort, and expense. Tufin, via this program, is looking to help partners reduce some of the costs.
Of course, once those skills are acquired, channel partners will need to fight to retain them. Salaries for advanced cybersecurity skills easily exceed $100,000 in most major markets. Channel partners also need to commit to supporting 24/7 security services that often require all hands to be on the proverbial deck at any time of day or night.
Not every channel partner is cut out to deliver advanced security services. But those that can’t are usually smart enough to partner with a managed security services provider that can.
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