Subscribe
  • Home
  • /
  • TechForum
  • /
  • Channel partners must become trusted security advisors

Channel partners must become trusted security advisors


Johannesburg, 10 May 2022

The modern IT security landscape is both immediately complex and also constantly evolving. Bearing this in mind, it is no wonder so many end-customers struggle with something that, while critical to their operations, is also not a part of their core business.

If end-customers cannot be expected to fully understand this often confusing and complicated issue of security, it falls to their IT service provider to provide them with the best guidance advice around this essential IT requirement.

According to Johannes Groenewald, GM of Tarsus Distribution, to be successful here, the channel partner must serve as more than a mere supplier of product. Instead, it must position itself as a genuine trusted advisor to the customer.

“The key to success for our channel partners is to ensure that their teams consistently focus on upskilling, by obtaining a range of security certifications from the vendor. There are in fact numerous vendor programmes that they can subscribe to for free, to help them better understand and implement the vendor’s security tools and to inculcate a high-level approach to security,” he says. 

“A trusted advisor has intimate security knowledge they can leverage to solve end-customer challenges. To reach such a level, it is imperative to focus on obtaining the necessary security qualifications. In addition, these certifications should be combined with advanced services that the channel partner can outsource to their security vendor or a distributor like Tarsus Distribution.”

Groenewald adds that Tarsus Distribution assists its partners in obtaining the relevant security skills, but more than that, can also provide them with access to a skilled security engineer who can perform the customer’s implementation as a member of the partner’s own team.

“Many companies are concerned with not just how to survive in the post-COVID era, but with how to grow their business to the next level in a tough economy. For me, the answer lies in properly understanding and utilising the various vendor security tools to define the proper specifications, and then to implement the solutions that best suit your customer, rather than those that are only best for your profits.”

He advises that channel partners also learn to outsource where they can and to partner when they need to. Another way to be recognised as a trusted security advisor is to introduce cyber security monitoring tools and security as a service, he notes. “This not only positions you as an expert in the field, but will also open up additional revenue streams for the business and add longevity to a partnership.”

“Ultimately, it's about ensuring your end-customers that their partnership with you has depth and breadth, encompassing the expertise that technology distributors like us can add to the mix. Obtain the certifications, make your customers aware of the strength of your partnerships and remain focused on delivering proactive security services. After all, if you were to call a customer to tell them the security of one of their devices had been compromised, but a technician was already on the way to repair it, their trust in you would increase exponentially,” he concludes.

For channel partners or businesses interested in levelling up their ability to provide sound security recommendations that their customers can trust, contact Tarsus Distribution by visiting the Tarsus Distribution website.

Share