Cybersecurity is one of the fastest growing, most dynamic, markets – for partners, it represents a significant business opportunity with strong margins, services potential and customer demand that only grows with every hack, data breach and news headline.
However, it also represents some significant challenges for VARs and MSPs alike. Firstly, it’s trying to find the right technologies to take to market. With an estimated 6,500 vendors providing cybersecurity products, it’s a very crowded market, and despite the M&A and consolidation, that number is only growing. For partners, they’re looking for what to focus on. What’s the next big thing? What’s just riding a hype wave, but lacks longevity? What’s the killer tech that will stop the next big attack and see explosive growth?
Secondly, the need for differentiation. When you are one of 10 partners answering a tender competing for the single vendor deal registration approval, it’s tough, and customers are increasingly demanding as they look to consolidate vendors while still ensuring they address the latest innovations. Standing out against some of the VAR and LAR giants isn’t easy with their scale and resources, especially with legacy partner programmes that reward incumbents and scale but not expertise and focus.
When launching e92spark, at e92plus it was important for us to provide a dedicated home for those new technologies we felt were ready to disrupt the market. We know that those vendors aren’t necessarily right for everyone, but working with early adopters in the channel community, we can provide a specialist approach built on 35 years of growing channel businesses and launching new generations of cybersecurity solutions.
The vendors that are part of the launch, as well as those who will be joining the portfolio over the coming months, share in common a unique approach that addresses growing customer demand that simply isn’t being addressed effectively in the market – and using a high level of automation.
For Scalefusion, that’s all about managing devices. New machines, personal phones, IoT equipment that is now internet enabled, and laptops suddenly lost or decommissioned – every one has network access, and that’s what threat actors are looking for, making them critical to manage and secure. Enabling customers to manage them autonomously dramatically reduces their risk, as well as saving time and resources. With the UEM market growing at over 30% CAGR, and MDM likely to see over 20% annual increases, the market is ready for new entrants and a different approach, and partners need to be ready. It’s also a great example of a segment that’s dominated by legacy solutions, due to the hardware and on-premise heritage. But while local devices remain – endpoints aren’t going away – the infrastructure to manage them is increasingly in the cloud, so security tools need to follow that. A key final factor is where users now expect greater autonomy, so while security doesn’t always allow that, features that empower staff (such as to use Gen or Agentic AI, or integrate with other solutions) while retaining security controls is critical. Scalefusion provides a fresh approach, ideal for those partners with established hardware, device or network business that are looking to expand into cybersecurity.
With Concentic AI, the pattern is similar, taking a new approach to fast– changing environments where organisations are struggling with legacy tools. Gen AI and Agentic AI are generating huge volumes of data – but also consuming it too. Traditional data security approaches simply can’t scale quickly enough, relying on too much manual intervention. Taking an approach like DSPM that’s autonomous and leveraging AI to truly understand context, organisations can unleash new tools without the risk, and avoid being left behind as employees demand access to AI, and competitors look to gain a competitive advantage through improved automation and efficiencies. Another key element with Concentric AI’s approach is context – not all data is the same, but just as importantly, not every use of it. This is beyond early approaches to UEBA and behavioural analytics, and integrates with AI tools to fully empower workers while enforcing essential guardrails without waiting for lengthy manual approvals or policy changes.
For partners, these examples highlight the rapidly changing environment and need for solutions that can provide an alternative to traditional approaches – and with the assurance of support when investing in a partnership with a new vendor, through a model like e92spark. Organisations are now having to secure data and devices that only a few years ago wouldn’t have even been considered – AI tools on every employee device and embedded in their business applications, or hardware devices that are now connected to networks that previously were dumb or standalone (like aircon to digital screens to industrial equipment).
All of this puts a strong burden on VARs and MSPs to innovate and stay ahead of the technology adoption curve to recommend the right solutions to their customers. By launching e92spark, there’s a chance to identify potential disruptive vendors that can provide a unique differentiator, while enjoying the support and backing from a cybersecurity specialist partner without the risk.
This article was produced in association with e92plus and is classified as partner content. What is partner content? See more here.
Darryl Whiteman
Darryl Whiteman is Vendor Alliances Manager at e92spark
