Specialism: Cybersecurity
Key vendors: SpyCloud, DNS, SecPod
Headcount: 10
Founded in 2020 by former Arc and AlphaGen Sales Director Chris Walsh, this cybersecurity VAD told us it now employs 10 staff.
ABC Distribution’s team boasts the experience, credibility and patience to successfully launch new vendors into the UK market, Walsh claimed, adding that the SpyCloud ally is “growing every single quarter” (see Q&A below).
“For 20 years I have heard distribution is dying, and it isn’t”
Quickfire Q&A with Managing Director Chris Walsh
What’s your top priority over the next 12 months?
Trading with a partner can be easy if there is an opportunity with an end user. What’s not easy is taking that one deal and turning it into multiple deals. That comes with understanding your clients and not just onboarding them. Our channel experience and experienced teams try to understand what partners want today, what their existing offerings look like and how we make selling a new tech easy to adopt and onboard.
What’s the most under-rated facet of your business?
Knowledge. This comes with experience but some of the big boys give new tech due to low revenue to the new account manager that is limited in their industry and partner knowledge.
This is common, as newer people cost less; new tech has less gross margin involved but that’s why many big distributors mess up. Launching new technology to the channel requires experience, credibility and the ability to give it time. We have that. We are growing every single quarter and our vendors know we give them all of the above. If they sat with a broadliner who needs immediate revenue to pay the bills/hot targets they look for quick wins, not long-term development. We have this in abundance.
Name a vendor or technology area that’s been a hit for you in 2025
We have a relatively even split between our vendors which suits a purpose right now as our growth is balanced, and not with 10 vendors but carried by one, which is often the case. Spycloud continue to impress as the more established vendor but DNS feeding from Cisco and Secpod with their compelling price and consolidation solution are probably growing at a higher percentage just due to them being newer to the portfolio.
Are you expecting to grow in this calendar year?
If we aren’t growing at our stage of evolution something is wrong but the key this year is growth in our own platforms that will accelerate revenue growth.
What distribution news story most grabbed your attention in 2025?
Pax8’s stance I thought was interesting but if I am honest it’s all a bit boring at points. Where are the characters? The disrupters? Look, our job is to stay in the know so it’s essential but “we’re planning for next wave of growth”, “AI this, AI that” where is the news that’s not something written by the marketing department. Are Ian Kilpatrick or Barrie Desmond making a comeback (joking)?
3 of the 4 largest companies in this report have changed ownership in the last 12 months (or are about to). What does that say about the market?
That despite repeated comments about distribution dying/evolving – or whatever terms you use – distribution is still often the safest and most effective scalable route to market and long may this continue.
How do you feel that one company featured in this report took out a full-page New York Times ad in March blasting the term ‘distributor’?
It was advertising and I respected it. It may have rattled a few cages but maybe after a few years of everyone being afraid to upset anyone, I liked it. I am from a generation where we were taught “sticks and stones etc” and it created a reason to talk about their stance and advert and I for one welcomed something that wasn’t about how someone had become carbon neutral/met green targets as I don’t believe anyone actually cares. Fair shout to that company- they differentiated themselves.
On a scale of 1-10, how optimistic are you about the IT distribution market right now?
9.8.
Distribution has evolved from the stacking of boxes and collection of cash to now in my opinion distribution of relationships, knowledge and experience. Never say, never but for 20 years I have heard distribution is dying, and it isn’t; it just changes more than sometimes people give it credit for.
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