Distology’s CEO has likened the VAD to a “super-tight Porsche” following its latest landmark vendor signing.
The Stockport-based security specialist has kicked off 2026 by replacing Exclusive Networks as Tenable’s second UK distributor alongside Arrow.
Talking to IT Channel Oxygen, Distology CEO Hayley Roberts confirmed the vulnerability management vendor will join Okta, Exabeam, Verkada and Yubico in its highest vendor tier.
Tenable is a $70m business in the UK, around 15% of which was handled by Exclusive, Roberts said.
“They still need a lot of focus to grow and develop their business because they are highly acquisitive,” Roberts said.
“They wanted something a bit different.
“This isn’t just about a big vendor that comes [where we go] ‘isn’t it great, we’re going to nick the deckchairs’… we want to create incremental new business.
“It’s about how we can educate the channel on what Tenable now do. They’re not just in vulnerability now; it’s much more to do with the risk management of that and they are pitching themselves slightly differently.”
Tenable plays across three of the four focus areas within Distology’s new technology strategy, namely workplace security, cyber security operations, and operational technology, Roberts said.
“They are top-right of the Gartner quadrant now, and they’re not going to do deals direct. What’s not to love?”
Boasting 2024 revenues of $900m, Tenable was the first vendor Roberts approached after she launched Distology in 2015 (it chose to appoint Wick Hill instead).
“It’s quite a weird ten-year turnround,” she acknowledged.
“We’re just about there”
NorthEdge-backed Distology harbours aggressive growth plans for 2026 after two years fine-tuning its business (it unveiled a new ‘technology strategy’ last April), Roberts said.
This could include possible M&A in the DACH region or Benelux, where it already has a presence, or the Nordics.
“M&A is definitely on the cards, whether it will be this year or next year. We’re not going to rule out the UK, but it will probably be in Europe first to gain a foothold there,” Roberts confirmed.
A new Sales Director has just been enlisted from outside the industry to help lighten the workload of CCO Sarah Geary, Roberts said.
“Sarah was effectively running sales, alliances and marketing and had way too many reports. We haven’t had a UK Sales Director for a very long time, and needed somebody to come in and take the weight off the sales team,” she explained.
“Every part of the engine is super tight,” Roberts added.
“It’s been a huge couple of years of learning, developing, honing, tuning – like it’s a really nice, fast engine.
“It feels like how you wait a couple of years for Porsche to release the new Turbo S, and you don’t realise how good it’s going to be. When it comes out, it’s brilliant – and that’s where I want us to be get to.
“We’re just about there.”
Doug Woodburn is editor of IT Channel Oxygen
