Red Sift Debuts Channel Program to Support Partners During COVID-19

Cybersecurity firm Red Sift has launched its inaugural channel program to support partners during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Red Sift said the new program and portal are designed for partners during “unprecedented, work-from-home times.”

The program aims to simplify how partners can offer customers essential cybersecurity defences without the need for complicated hardware installations.

“We launched the program now as there are accompanying plans, incentives and initiatives designed to help the channel during this tough period,” Red Sift’s channel director, Neil Crossley, told Channel Futures. “It had always been our intention to launch our program in the first half of 2020, and the COVID-19 crisis only intensified our commitment to the channel.”

Crossley said the firm was aware of how the lockdown could impact working practices for partners. He said it also understood how delays from manufacturers could impact the channel’s ability to continue to support their clients.

Red Sift’s Neil Crossley

“It’s our hope that our PaaS model will enable partners to still offer their customers best-in-class solutions with minimum management and interaction during this time, and as we go back to some kind of normality in the future,” he said.

The vendor says the three-tier program to support partners rewards loyalty above deal registration and revenue. And the company wants to make the channel-vendor partnership more inclusive.

“This is really about rewarding focus, rather than size,” said Crossley. “Partners come in many shapes and sizes, but it’s about engagement, transparency, and a true partnership. Those that demonstrate focus and loyalty are given the right kind of prioritisation and rewards.”

Channel Growth

Serial entrepreneurs and ex-Shazam techies, Rahul Powar and Randal Pinto, founded Red Sift in 2015, offering cloud-based email security. Based on a machine learning platform, Red Sift offers users a dashboard of tools to support network monitoring, email analysis and authentication. Its portfolio of cloud-based security solutions includes OnDMARC and OnINBOX.

Headquartered in London, customers include TransferWise, Telefonica, Action for Children, and top U.K. law firms. Last September, Red Sift closed its Series A funding round, hired Crossley and expanded operations into the U.S.

Across Europe, Middle East and Africa, Red Sift has 25 partners, including distributors. Five are piloting the MSP program and the remainder are VARs. Channel sales make up about 20% of revenues. Crossley said the company’s immediate goal is to hit 33% this quarter and 50% by the end of the year.

“Any partner engagement we have will typically be with those who understand the need for inbox protection and the DMARC protocol,” said Crossley. “We are keen to bring on a number of enterprise partners as we see a steady stream of 3,000-plus users and above opportunities.

“That said, we are looking to grow all aspects of the channel. We’ve had conversations with new VARs and distribution partners in the U.K. and beyond. And we’ll continue to support smaller, consultancy-led businesses. Our MSP and system integrator approach is also kicking off this quarter with a number of MSPs already involved in our MSP pilot.”