EDITOR’S QUESTION
Evolving ways to
train the channel
With time at a premium, and with an increasing volume of
information to disseminate, RedSeal has moved to online
training modules says Kimason Brown, Global Channel
Program Director, RedSeal.
information. While our
own sales teams are time-
constrained and always
moving, they are focused
on one company and one
very functional platform:
RedSeal’s network
modelling and risk scoring
platform. RedSeal’s
channel programme
needs to support people
who have significantly
less time for us and who
are hearing from 13 other
vendors; in a complex and
changing field.
We took a step back
and evaluated our channel
support to determine how
best to help. We’d been
providing day-long, in-
person training sessions.
To address the time crunch
Kimason Brown, Global Channel Program Director, RedSeal.
and volume of information
our partners face, we moved to online
he biggest challenge we face in
training modules. These can be reviewed one
supporting the RedSeal channel is
at a time and returned to as needed.
the business we’re in: cybersecurity.
Our goal for these modules is to provide
It is a fragmented, complex, fast-moving
information about the problems we solve
business with many companies and
and the customers for which we solve them.
products. The market changes as threats
Rather than just sending out technical
evolve and new tools are developed. No one
product information, we connect the dots
company has all the products a customer
for our channel. We help them understand
might need. In fact, our channel teams sell,
the value of RedSeal to different types of
on average, 14 different products from 14
customers and show them how they can
different companies.
profit from working with us.
Each of those 14 vendors wants
We start with an overview of our basic
the channel’s time and attention. And
tenet: Protection and detection products
each vendor is sending material and
T
A
s a cybersecurity
analytics
platform,
describe how you
support the channel
to stay abreast of the
latest technology by
training and certification
programmes?
are necessary, but not sufficient in the face
of the cybersecurity threats we all face.
As long as bad actors can use unwitting
employees to get into a network, no amount
of protection and detection can stop them.
Organisations need to make their networks
more resilient so they can keep running and
quickly recover from any incident. RedSeal’s
network modelling and risk scoring
platform is the foundation for resilience.
While we continue to share
information with our channel via standard
communication methods – meetings,
newsletters, monthly webinars – so do
those other 13 companies. Our modules
incorporate different presentation
methods – video, voice over slides – to
enliven the information.
After the basic overview, we have
modules for each type of target prospect.
Each module follows the same pattern. (1)
We review the target IT function, including
responsibilities and potential titles, to
make each group easier to recognise. (2)
We detail important challenges or ‘pain
points’ each group faces. (3) We explain
how RedSeal addresses each challenge. (4)
We detail how to sell to the group.
After that, we arm the channel with
presentations geared to each target group,
so our channel partners are ready to sell.
This approach provides relevant,
digestible information to which partners
can refer back. What’s more, it helps all of
us share a consistent message. When each
channel partner is saying the same things
RedSeal is saying, market awareness rises
and all of us benefit.
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