EDITOR ’ S COMMENT over the past year , 70 % of businesses planned to maintain or increase Digital Transformation spending during the pandemic . As a result , we have seen high demand for solutions like A10 Thunder ADC and Harmony Controller , which empowers businesses to deliver secure application services across traditional data centres , private , public and hybrid cloud environments . This solution underpins our vision to help businesses become more secure , responsive and agile as they bridge traditional and cloud-based application environments .
As ransomware attacks , DDoS and other threats grow in sophistication , and enterprise environments become more distributed and dynamic , cybersecurity and compliance become critical challenges . Again , our research showed how important it is for organisations to protect against such threats . Forty-three percent stated that DDoS protection service for enterprise customers was a top security priority in 2021 , while 39 % of respondents said ransomware protection services for enterprise customers was their highest priority .
Focused programmes that support the channel
All these trends have created demand for our products and services and have remained focus areas for both A10 Networks and our channel partners . To address these trends , we introduced five key channel initiatives at the start of 2021 in order to focus support and resources in these key areas :
• Deal registration is paramount : We have had deal registration incentives running since the beginning of the year to ensure partners register leads in line with our areas of focus and business growth .
• Distribution : Underpins our channel strategy and we have continued to recruit new partners across the region to ensure that we are well represented in all territories .
• Building our ecosystem and partner network is key to our ongoing success . Our focus here is on partnering with players who are strong in key verticals and can bring talent and expertise to our customers .
• Partner enablement : We launched a new technical ambassador programme , through which our technical team are mentoring our partner ’ s technical teams .
• The Lead the Way initiative : which utilises our partner network to develop leads and marketing initiatives via our partner portal .
With channel front and centre to all our programme activities , we renamed our partner tiering model to : Member , Advanced and Elite , and have launched our Elevate to Elite programme designed to help accelerate our partners ’ growth and enable them to fast track through the various partner levels .
Building a bigger footprint
Our channel strategy encompasses APAC , EMEA , South Asia and provides us a unique perspective across a large segment . This allows us to consolidate and co-ordinate our channel strategy
We see channel partners helping customers with cloud migration and the adoption of 5G as they address concerns around network security and the current lack of agility and visibility throughout the IT infrastructure .
to an ever-greater degree while also allowing for flexibility to manage customer and channel needs across individual countries and regions . But , above all , we appreciate that some countries will be emerging at a different pace to others , as lockdowns and restrictions are enforced and relaxed . Therefore , our overriding priority is the security and safety of our partners and customers around the world ; we ’ re committed to working with them to achieve this . •
Our channel strategy encompasses APAC , EMEA , South Asia and provides us a unique perspective across a large segment .
INTELLIGENT TECH CHANNELS Issue 44 17