By Stewart Fox, EVP of Worldwide Sales for Skybox
VARs are always looking for opportunities to position themselves as 
trusted, strategic advisors and elevate the security discussion to higher levels of management.To effectively align with the CISO, VARs need to focus on the big picture.
CISOs are looking for turnkey solutions that address all aspects of data security – this is why it’s difficult for VARs to garner the attention of the CISO when selling individual point solutions. With enterprise networks growing larger and more complex, organizations are moving from point solutions to consolidation to address issues around interoperability, scalability and security gaps.
As cybersecurity strategy and management garners more attention from the c-suite, VARs succeed when selling an integrated security platform that costs less and is easier to manage than an assortment of point solutions. This is due to the fact that customers are consolidating to: narrow the pool of vendors they manage, streamline their security processes and cut costs around deployment and ongoing maintenance contracts.
These critical advantagesbuild a stronger business case for the CISO to advocate internally for security budgets.
For VARs, integrated security platforms not only reflect the undisputed direction of the market but also provide the opportunity for upsell while delivering better security protection, more cost-effective deployment and simpler, ongoing management to their customers.
When working with channel partners, VARs need opportunities to add unique value so that they aren’t stuck selling a commodity product. In addition, they need products that support long-term account growth, including year-over-year increases in recurring revenue. An integrate suite of products accomplishes both of these things.
For customers, migrating to an integrated security platformhelps eliminate issues around interoperability, scalability and security gaps. They also achieve better security at lower cost with less organizational impact.
Integrated security platforms empower VARs to close the sale by enriching their service offering and elevating the security discussion to decision makers and budget holders. It’s a win-win all around.
