In cybersecurity, scaling through partnerships isn’t just an option—it’s the only way forward. But as many vendors know, building partnerships that actually deliver is far from simple.
During Kiflo’s latest live Q&A, Ignacio Sbampato, former Chief Business Officer at ESET and current advisor to European cybersecurity startups and scaleups, shared practical insights from over 20 years in the field. Ignacio helped grow ESET’s global revenue from €260M to €700M by building strong, scalable partner ecosystems—and in this session, he unpacked the lessons, mistakes, and frameworks behind that success.
Here are the biggest highlights from the conversation:
1. Start with the Customer, Not the Partner
According to Ignacio, most vendors start their partner strategy in the wrong place—by looking for partners before deeply understanding their ideal customer profile (ICP).
“Everything starts from the customer. Once you know who your ideal customer is, you can identify who they buy from and who they trust. That’s where your best partners are.”
He emphasized that the type of customer you serve should define the type of partner you pursue:
- Large enterprises often work with system integrators (GSIs) such as Accenture, Capgemini, or Thales.
- SMBs tend to buy through value-added resellers (VARs) and distributors.
- Increasingly, companies are moving toward managed service providers (MSPs) and marketplaces (AWS, Microsoft Azure) to handle ongoing security operations.
Key takeaway: Before you start recruiting partners, identify who your customers rely on to make buying decisions and how they implement security solutions. That’s where your real channel opportunity lies.
2. The “Kingmakers” of Cybersecurity Partnerships
Ignacio introduced a useful framework for identifying the four partner types that truly shape success in cybersecurity:
- System Integrators (GSIs): Key for enterprise solutions requiring complex implementations.
- Value-Added Distributors (VADs): Bridge the gap between vendors and resellers.
- Service Providers (MSPs & MSSPs): Offer ongoing management and support—critical for SMBs.
- Marketplaces (AWS, Azure, etc.): Rapidly growing routes to market, especially for SaaS and cloud-native products.
“To succeed in cybersecurity, you need to know who the kingmakers are in your space—the partners who influence buying decisions and customer trust.”
3. Not Every Partnership Works And That’s Okay
One of Ignacio’s most memorable stories came from a major European reseller:
“A contact at Softcat once told me, out of every 15 new vendors they work with, 2 are great, 3 are good, and the other 10 fail. It’s not that those vendors were bad, it’s that the fit wasn’t there.”
The takeaway? Even experienced vendors need to accept that not every partner is the right fit, and that’s not a failure—it’s data. The goal is to learn quickly where alignment exists and double down there.
4. The Two Essentials for Driving Partner Engagement
When asked about the most common reason partnerships fail, Ignacio didn’t hesitate: lack of engagement.
He shared two essential ingredients every vendor needs:
- A dedicated partner manager.
“You can’t drive engagement without someone whose only job is to build relationships and stay in touch with partners.” - An internal champion inside the partner organization.
“If you don’t identify an internal champion within the first three to six months, forget about it. Engagement won’t happen later.”
That champion, often a sales engineer or account manager, doesn’t have to be senior, but they do need time, passion, and internal influence to keep your solution top of mind.
5. Keep Partnerships Simple and Human
Complex processes kill momentum. Ignacio advised vendors to simplify communication, reduce administrative friction, and focus on relationship-building.
He also encouraged in-person engagement wherever possible:
“Cybersecurity is about trust. And trust is built in person. Do events. Host small breakfasts, lunches, or meetups. You don’t need a huge budget, just a reason to connect.”
This aligns with one of his recurring themes: relationships drive revenue.
6. Measure What Matters
When asked about KPIs for partnership health, Ignacio offered a simple, effective metric:
“The best way to measure partnership health is to see how many customers your partner already has that fit your ICP and how many you’re penetrating together.”
Rather than focusing only on total revenue, look at:
- Number of shared ICP customers
- Number of proof-of-concepts (POCs) or demos conducted
- How quickly engagement happens (within the first 3–6 months)
If those indicators don’t move, it’s a sign to reassess or move on.
7. Build Value-Based Partnerships
The session closed with a powerful reminder: successful partnerships create mutual value—for the vendor, the partner, and the customer.
“A great partnership isn’t about who has the best technology. It’s about how easy you make it for partners to make money and delight their customers.”
Ignacio highlighted three elements to keep in balance:
- Revenue potential: How much partners can earn.
- Effort required: How easy it is for them to sell, implement, or support your solution.
- Delight: What makes working with your brand enjoyable or rewarding.
When those three align, partnerships thrive.
Final Thoughts
Ignacio’s final message was simple but powerful:
“Partnerships succeed when you communicate regularly, give before you ask, and make it easy for partners to grow with you.”
The cybersecurity channel may be complex, but with clarity, trust, and alignment, partnerships can become one of the strongest growth engines a company has.
