Masters of MSSP: Meet Your Channel Champions

MSSPs are under pressure to deliver smarter, faster and more secure solutions and Dicker Data is here to help. From enablement programs to hands-on support, we're backing MSSPs every step of the way. We caught up with our Check Point specialists, Chris Georgiou(CG)and James Ticehurst (JT),to first, give you a chance to get to know the people behind the expertise, and second, dive into what's driving success in the MSSP space. From how Dicker Data is making a difference to what MSSPs need to stay ahead, CGand JTshare their insights, experiences and a few surprises along the way.

What excites you most about working with MSSPs in the channel?

Working with MSSP's in the channel introduces a variety of experience as well as a various amount of GTM strategies they implement. It's great to see the variety and being able to implement a dynamic and fluid program like Check Point's MSSP program to suit their needs and fill gaps in challenges they come across. Seeing the outcome and increased adoption of the solutions after implementing changes suggested makes us feel like we're doing the right thing for the partner community and the partner themselves to improve their efficiency and enhance their offerings to increase revenue. CG

MSSP represent interesting partners with incredible diversity and room for growth. Each partner brings a new area of expertise, experience, or a new industry into our scope. One day we are working on standard firewalls for layers, the next; specialised endpoint security for radiographers and surgeons. Each partner brings so much to the table and were ready to compliment every offering. JT

What are the biggest challenges MSSPs face today and how does Dicker Data help solve them?

The biggest challenges faced with partners we see is lack of product knowledge, industry awareness and GTM strategies with the solutions. Partners don't know what they don't know. As part of our value add we listen to understand the partners' strengths, their challenges, we cover their existing business model, and then engage, enable and educate them to align to their business model. We introduce alternate business strategies, models that we've seen work and GTM methods. CG

MSSPs face ever increasing cybersecurity scope with tighter budgets that other industries. They also have the difficult job of communicating efficacy to a non-technical end customer who has needed to outsource their knowledge. This is where Dicker Data excels, by brining clear technical and sales knowledge directly to the partner, offering demos and support, and keeping them up to date with the latest cybersecurity news and solutions. JT

How do you see MSSP evolving in the next 12-24 months?

We see MSSP's evolving in the next 24 months to a targeted service-based focus rather than a wider product-based focus. The way partners will offer a solution will dramatically change and instead of services being an add on to products, the products will be incorporated into targeted service offerings. We're seeing this more commonly, where partners adopting a focused service offering which specialises in Cyber Security with product add on's rather than the traditional products are more successful. CG

I see MSSPs growing into the cloud and networking space. The days of endpoint only security and I.C.E are long gone. MSSPs have kept up with the game as the horizons broadened and the tech got more complex. The next step is on securing network connections for remote users and branches, and making sure every user has ZNTA access to their company's cloud assets. Cloud infrastructure has only grown in the past 12 months and MSSPs recognise the need to secure their customers. JT

What's one piece of advice you'd give to a partner just starting their MSSP journey?

The one piece of advice I would suggest to any MSSP starting out in the industry is to understand your target market. Once you know who you want to sell to, understand your available tools and products, complimentary solutions, develop processes and offerings to accommodate. CG

For an MSSP just starting I would recommend finding their niche. What can they bring to the market and who can they target with their expertise. MSSPs need to know their cybersecurity from first principles to the cutting edge and make sure they can communicate that effectively to customers who are non-technical and don't understand their own risks. JT

What kind of training or enablement do you recommend for MSSPs to succeed?

The training and enablement I would recommend partners to complete would be all vendor related training aligned to the products that will be sold and supported. At Dicker Data we also provide an enablement schedule for all our partners. We spend time with the partner to introduce them to Check Point and the MSSP program, the tools available, the products available, and provide them industry awareness guidance to have a successful outcome with the Check Point MSSP program. CG

Know the product and know the environment. Check Point does a phenomenal job in offering advanced and simple training courses to all their partners, this is a must use resources that partners can leverage to get the best results out of their solutions. Completing technical and sales certs can be the make or break when it comes to confident selling and providing the customers with the best cyber security solutions tailored to the customers environment. JT

How does your involvement influence the way Dicker Data supports MSSPs?

Our involvement with Partners greatly influences MSSP's. Our ongoing value add components include tasks such as level 1 support, demonstration environment, enablement process, industry knowledge and the sense of being there as an extension of the MSSP's team greatly provides support MSSP's need from their distributor. My personal experiences and knowledge of the industry is also shared with our valued partners to assist with challenges and GTM strategies. CG

The technical support we can bring to the table is second to none. We know are partners and their requirements deeply and work hand in hand to create the best solutions. This trickles up as well, what we learn from one customer we can share with another creating a knowledge base and documentation to support any MSSP in any stage of their journey.JT

What's your go-to resource or tool when helping partners troubleshoot or plan?

My go to resource or tool when helping partners is a variety of resources. Not including common sense, we work with Check Point and the wider MSP team to be able to reach into areas that we do not have access to. Use your resources in the industry whether being a vendor, a distributor, a fellow partner. Online resources such as vendor specific forums are generally a great place to start as well as the vendors online Support and knowledgebase. Best to reach out directly to the vendor Support Library, as well as distributors and vendors. CG

Screen Share. It is so important to see the solution the same way the customer does, providing remote support can be challenging even at the best of times. As such being able to guide the customer in real time, answering their questions, and showing them how to navigate their solutions whilst providing industry leading recommendations sees the most success. JT

Chris, what does being on the Check Point Advisory Board mean for our partners?

Being on the Check Point Advisory Board is a great honour. Dicker Data's success in taking a new program to market, helping develop the offerings, excel at spearheading the program across APAC is something that we see as a success to our dedicated team and the support we receive from Check Point to make this happen. It's one of the most successful programs that I have been involved in and the fact that Check Point has appointed us to the Advisory Board, this shows the recognition and gratitude Check Point have acknowledged to reflect our success. CG

We hope this gave you a better look at the people behind the partnership. At Dicker Data, our team is your team, ready to support you with deep technical and sales expertise. And when more is needed, we tap into a network of 100+ specialists across our Software team and trusted vendor partners to bring the right knowledge, right when you need it.