I’ll always be a ‘channel guy’ — because backup has always been a channel-led discussion. I actually started out as a systems engineer at a value-added reseller (VAR). I recently wrapped up a webinar with two other folks that started in the channel: Mark Ehr, principal research analyst for the S&P Global 451 Research Analyst team, and Larissa Crandall, VP of Global Channel and Alliances from Veeam. All three of us cut our teeth in this industry by looking at customers’ problems and serving as trusted advisors on the best ways to fix them.

One of the most effective ways to accomplish that is combining current market intelligence with contextual understanding of the landscape. Mark and S&P recently published some interesting information from the 451 Research white paper from S&P Global Market Intelligence. Including information regarding the importance of convergence, adding solutions, and key areas where partners can add value to your environment. Larissa brings a wealth of VAR/channel experience, and I’d like to think I do a little of both research and context.  Here’s a few topics that we’ve discussed.

Where Cyber Preparedness and Data Protection Meet

There is a natural convergence that’s going on between data protection and cyber preparedness within organizations of all sizes. There is a poignant adage that “the good guys have to be right every time… while the bad guys only have to be right once,” which is why most of us are reconciled that ransomware isn’t an ‘IF’ but a ‘WHEN.’

Recognizing that inevitability, one of the most important things that an organization can do is ensure that they have alignment with partners that are familiar with detection and monitoring technologies, as well as backup and recovery technologies. In both of these solution scenarios, the conversations have historically been led by partners. This is because IT organizations’ staff members are often so overworked with simply maintaining the status quo that they’re not always able to stay familiar with what cutting edge technology, methods, and tools are needed for each of these endeavors — particularly regarding cyber preparedness and backup/disaster recovery.

Hence, engaging with a VAR that maintains those competencies ensures that your organization has solutions that fit your needs, your budget, and your risk profile. VARs can also prescribe what technology or tools your organization will need to have for its best chance to prepare against — as well as remediate from — ransomware. This expertise is critically important in the face of all the data loss scenarios that are growing more common by the day.

How Partners Can Ensure Value and Solution Capabilities

Last month, we hosted a webinar, the Secret Ingredient to Cyber Resiliency, for partners to talk about the importance of designing and implementing a cyber resiliency architecture that meets the business goals of their customers and subscribers. In his recent white paper from S&P Global Market Intelligence, cybersecurity analyst Mark Ehr described the kinds of IT environments used today with the understanding that almost every organization has embraced a hybrid- and multi-cloud architecture.

Those approaches enable increased agility for the IT organization in delivering services to their business stakeholders. But the diverse heterogeneity also adds complexity when it comes to protecting against and remediating from cyber events.

The good news is that Veeam can protect — and enable the recovery of — each of the architectures described above. In fact, according to the 2024 Data Protection Trends Report, consistent protection of SaaS (e.g., Microsoft 365), IaaS (Azure/AWS), and data centers of all sizes was a key driver for organizations looking at new data protection solutions in 2024.

So, we’ve talked about architecture, we’ve talked about remediation. With this in mind, it comes as no surprise that partners, systems integrators, and service professionals are on the front lines of not only deploying the hybrid production infrastructures, but also ensuring their cyber detection, cyber monitoring, and cyber resiliency. In fact, according to the 2024 Ransomware Trends Report — which surveyed 1,200 organizations that suffered cyberattacks last year — “reseller/partner or service providers” was among the most commonly engaged teams during recoveries. In fact, these teams actively helped with remediation in two out of five cyber events in 2023.

What is perhaps most interesting about the chart above is that:

• 94% of organizations leverage at least one of the third parties seen above, whereas only 6% tried to solve it by themselves.
• There is a three-way tie for “most often engaged” between security vendors who prevent, backup vendors who recover, and security specialists (many of whom are simply mission-specific channel partners).
• Behind those folks that are vendor type organizations, the most common resource to engage was the reseller partner or service provider.

It is also worth noting that Veeam recently acquired Coveware, which not only provides forensics but also ransom negotiation. Both of which are existentially important during an organization’s worst days.

The Opportunities for Veeam Partners in Cyber-Resiliency

In our webcast, Mark and I were joined by Larissa Crandall as she discussed the value of the partner ecosystem where the broad range of technology partnership integrations and go-to-market motions around a comprehensive cyber-resiliency strategy are often buoyed entirely by the trusted partner — the VAR. Being engaged with a VAR, or similarly trusted VCSP or GSI, who is already delivering preparation guidance, as well as deployment and/or services, can be an incredible weight off the shoulders of an already overworked IT team as a way to ensure that your organization is as informed, protected, and prepared as possible in the event of a cyberattack or other disaster.

The webcast goes on to discuss the business opportunity that VARs, integrators, and service providers can deliver to their customers around cyber resiliency. Additionally, we discussed some key conversations that were recommended by S&P Global that customers ought to be having amongst themselves. These topics were recommended in support of the strong likelihood that a partner will be core to any cyber preparedness conversation your organization will have, and therefore are likely the source of resolution.

Those topics include the following key areas from the from S&P Global paper:

• Performing an initial cyber-resilience assessment to determine critical systems, platforms and current maturity levels along with gap and risk analyses.
• Aiding the organization in defining a cyber-resilience strategy and desired state of maturity.
• Designing a cyber-resilience architecture that meets the organization’s goals.
• Building and executing a phased implementation plan.
• Training users on the solution, including conducting regularly scheduled table-top exercises and recovery drills.
• Ensuring continued cyber-resilience assessment as critical systems, platforms, risks and maturity levels relentlessly change.

It is inevitable that the difference between good cyber partners, good data protection partners, and great trusted advisors comes from when the partner ecosystem embraces the synergies that cyber preparedness and data protection have to ensure their customers cyber resiliency posture.

To learn more:

Both links cover the secret ingredient to cyber resiliency, data protection, and the role of partners in the fight for survivability against ransomware. Ransomware is no longer an IF but a WHEN. By aligning your organization, finding solutions and, maybe most importantly, seeing the value partners can bring to the table, cyber resiliency can be realized.

Veeam has a top-notch ecosystem of partners who all work together — better together — with one goal in mind: achieving the desired outcome for the customer. Veeam ProPartners comprise our ProPartner Network, designed to leverage the multitude of skills, expertise and experience of participating partners as well as provide a plethora of resources and tools found in our ProPartner portal, an interactive platform that provides everything needed to drive business growth with Veeam. Partners can band together, be better together, all with the sole purpose of delivering cyber resiliency and successful customer outcomes, no matter what, and ensuring the good guys win every time.

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