Critical Start Taps Ingram Micro for Cybersecurity Channel

Critical Start, a provider of a managed detection and response service, has signed a distribution agreement with Ingram Micro through which the provider of a managed security services is looking to build a channel.

Rather than trying to sell a managed cybersecurity service direct, Critical Start is looking to leverage channel partners that don’t want to make the ongoing capital investments required to build and maintain their own managed detection and response (MDR) service, says Alin Srivastava, vice president of business development for Critical Start.

The company’s MDR service incorporates cybersecurity products from vendors such as Carbon Black, Chronicle, Cylance, Microsoft, Palo Alto Networks, and Splunk. The goal is to ally with channel partners looking to partner with a managed security service provider (MSSP) that has already proven its ability to keep customers satisfied, says Srivastava.

“We have a 99% renewal rate among customers,” says Srivastava.

One of the major reasons for that success is the level of transparency Critical Start provides to end customers. A Critical Start customer can access and see everything that the company’s cybersecurity analysts see, while a MOBILESOC app allows customers to interact with the company’s SOC analysts from anywhere.

Overall, Critical Start claims business grew 300% last year, but rather than continuing to build out a direct sales force it makes more sense to rely on partners to expand the total addressable market, says Srivastava.

Critical Start chose Ingram Micro in part because of the acquisition of Cloud Harmonics, a specialty distributor focusing in cybersecurity, that Ingram Micro made in 2017, adds Srivastava.

Given the general shortage of cybersecurity expertise, there’s no doubt most partners are going to have to partner on some level with MSSPs to addressing increasingly complex cybersecurity challenges. The only real remaining issue still to be addressed is identifying those MSSPs that are truly the savviest in terms of playing nice with other channel partners.