Cato Networks Hires Channel Chief, Forms SASE Accreditation

Cato Networks hired a new channel chief and offered partners a chance to grow their secure access service edge (SASE) business.

Cato Networks’ Anthony D’Angelo

The Tel Aviv, Israel-based company announced Anthony D’Angelo as its new vice president of global channel sales and business development. His new job places him in charge of Cato’s channel partner relationships.

“I love this job,” D’Angelo told Channel Partners. “I love working with partners, and I’m passionate about the channel. And I try to bring that to everything I do.”

The new partner leader boasts a diverse resume of channel experiences.

D’Angelo most recently directed Cisco’s global SD-WAN partner sales. Before that, he headed up worldwide channel sales and distribution at the SD-WAN provider Viptela, which Cisco bought in 2017. He worked in emerging technologies for the distributor Westcon and led HP’s enterprise security channel sales. Other previous companies include RSA, Nokia and Net Optics. In addition, he started his career at a reseller and worked as a channel manager.

He said his many different experiences will help him serve and recruit various partner types.

The company said 90% of its 2020 business has stemmed from the channel. The master agent channel, for example, has proven to be a particular strong route to market, D’Angelo said. The company said that part of his job description entails building alliances with system integrators and MSPs.

“We believe that solution providers and MSPs are looking for recurring revenue models,” D’Angelo said. ” … and they recognize that the adoption of cloud-first initiatives are influencing their customers’ decisions.”

Growing Support Services

Cato on Monday announced the Cato Distinguished Support Providers (CDSP) accreditation. The change allows partners to independently provide technical support to customers.

Training for CDSP is free, but only select partners will earn accreditation. The accreditation breaks into two tiers: “certified,” who can provide tier-1 support, and “expert,” who can provide tier-1 and tier-2 support. Both will enjoy priority access to Cato’s lead and deal sharing.

As a result of the accreditation, partners will find new revenue streams through technical support services. They’ll also build marketplace clout as SASE experts.

“What we’re trying to do is put the partner in the driver seat,” D’Angelo said. “We want to enable them so they can be the face to their customers.”

The new accreditation follows a trend we’ve seen in the development of Cato Networks’ channel program: giving partners the option to be more independent.

“We’ve analyzed what works with partner programs — and what doesn’t,” Cato chief revenue officer Alon Alter said last fall. “We believe in supporting our partners, but at the same time giving them maximum independence.”

Cato Networks SASE

Cato in April announced $77 million in new funding. The company promised to grow its channel reach and expand its joint marketing programs as a result.

In the following weeks, Cato signed its first “pan-European” distributor in Nuvias Group. The company also expanded its presence in Europe with a new Switzerland point-of-presence and new regional sales directors. Cato also grew its Asia-Pacific footprint, forming distribution partnerships with Sen Spirit Technology and Westcon-Comstor Asia.

Cato has embraced the identity of a “secure access service edge” provider. The term, which Gartner coined in 2018, envisions a business world where the majority of users, applications and data exist outside of an enterprise’s main office and its data center.

“We see the adoption rates increasing,” D’Angelo said. “And we’re truly looking for partners who are willing to lead this conversation.”