Darktrace Rolls Out Defenders Partner Program

Darktrace, a global provider of cybersecurity AI, has launched the global Defenders Partner Program, its first formal partner program.

Darktrace is introducing the Defenders Partner Program to better support partners as they go to market with the vendor. The program features three tiers – elite, premier and preferred – with requirements for entry and benefits varying by tier.

Key features of the Defenders Partner Program include:

Thoma Bravo is in the process of acquiring Darktrace for $5.32 billion, taking it private. The acquisition should close by the end of 2024.

What Prompted the Defenders Partner Program

Dan Monahan, Darktrace’s senior vice president of global partner organization (GPO), said this is Darktrace’s first official partner program, “but we've been working with partners the entire time throughout the history of the company.”

Darktrace's Dan Monahan

“It was really with the the vision and thought leadership of our chief revenue officer, Denise Walter, when she came in roughly a year-and-a-half ago and said, 'Hey, we've got this engine that we have yet to truly take advantage of,'” he said. “And she brought in people like me and a few of what I'll call channel heroes that have been there and done that with other organizations that have put some structure around what we built here.”

The Darktrace Defenders partner program resulted from asking partners’ opinions of Darktrace as a partner and its solution, and what they need to see for Darktrace to become a more meaningful part of their portfolios, Monahan said.

“We've always worked with the partner ecosystem, but our sellers here at Darktrace have had questions as to, 'Where do I start? Whom do I lean in with? And how do I understand the capabilities of these partners?'” he said. “So by creating a three-tier program, I'm essentially answering the question so they know where do I go to start inside this particular area of the world, and then build on that externally. We've designed something that is meant to meet in the middle with the channel community.”

New Partner Portal

Darktrace spent a “considerable amount” of time and money building a “world-class” partner portal that its partners will have access to, Monahan said.

“And so as they log into this newly designed portal, they're going to have access to all levels of resources, support resources, call campaigns, call sheets, technical support and white-glove services,” he said.

Darktrace brings something to the AI and cybersecurity space that “no one else does,” Monahan said.

“You combine that with the program that we've designed, and we're essentially saying, 'What makes you great?'” he said. “'What makes your organization great? And then how does that match with what we built here?' I don't want to force them into doing something that's unnatural to their business, and I don't want to reward just sheer volume. As we've seen in some traditional programs, it's truly about asking the question of what makes you and your organization different and great. And then we're going to customize that program to their capabilities because that's how we hyper-accelerate growth for both organizations.”

The launch builds on the investments Darktrace has made over the last year to grow and evolve its GPO team and strategy. Darktrace has tripled the size of the GPO team across key functions such as sales operations, marketing and technical partner enablement, and put in place new systems and technology to better support partners, including the new partner portal.

Darktrace’s GPO includes VARs, GSIs, MSSPs, distributors and consulting organizations.

Darktrace is also introducing an accelerator on commission for its sellers when they transact through a partner, encouraging deeper collaboration and engagement.