Forescout Doubles Partner Certifications In ‘Largest’ Channel Expansion To Date

The connected device security vendor is adding new certifications in cyber risk exposure and threat detection response to do more with existing and newly recruited partners, according to Channel Chief David Creed.

Forescout is adding two new partner certifications as part of what the company is calling the “largest” channel program expansion in its history, according to Channel Chief David Creed.

The new certifications are in cyber risk exposure and threat detection response, and they double the total number of partner certifications available from Forescout to four.

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The channel moves for Forescout come as part of the connected device security vendor’s push into doing more with MSPs, Creed (pictured) told CRN.

“There's a huge push here at Forescout to give service providers more to work with,” said Creed, vice president of worldwide channel sales at Forescout, who joined the company a year ago.

The two new partner certifications join existing certifications in Forescout’s core area of network security, as well as in OT security.

For the past six years or so, Forescout has been hovering around 2,200 partners, Creed noted. One goal with the addition of the new certifications is to add to the vendor’s partner ranks while also expanding Forescout’s work with current partners, he said.

“I think this is going to be a significant, new conversation for our existing partners — that may have a service provider offering, but not with us — or with anybody new that we have not talked to yet,” Creed said. “This is going to provide my global channel team with a lot of points of value to have conversations about — either with existing partners or potentially with new partners.”

One longtime partner of Forescout applauded the channel program expansion at the company.

“It’s definitely a breath of fresh air,” said Efrem Gonzales, founder and CEO of Tec-Refresh, an MSP based in Newport Beach, Calif.

“For us, it's a game-changer — being able to segment out specialties gives channel partners like us additional revenue streams that we haven't been able to go after,” Gonzales told CRN.

The new certifications in cyber risk exposure and threat detection response are based in part on acquisitions that Forescout has made over the years but hadn’t previously developed a strong channel message around, he noted. That meant that MSPs like Tec-Refresh would have to “package it up ourselves” to bring those capabilities to customers, Gonzales said.

What the channel team led by Creed has now done, Gonzales said, is that “they basically segmented out these technologies, so that way we could actually build a go-to-market strategy — an effective strategy that's supported by Forescout.”

Ultimately, “this is a very good win for us,” he said. “Now we've got an entire array of solutions that we could actually deliver to our customers.”

Creed said the partner certifications expansion will hopefully be a turning point for Forescout’s work with the channel.

“Now the technology matches up with the customer need and the partner need. We haven't really had that ideal alignment before,” he said. “The stars are aligning perfectly to where we're giving the partner community something that customers need that the partners can deliver.”