LAUNCH - Zeekhoe Communicatie · 2019-08-07 · Channel launch case study: Duo Security Channel launch case study: Watchful Software Contact. Contact a local Code Red representative

LAUNCHYOUR CYBER SECURITY COMPANY

IN THE UK

How to Capitalise on the Golden Opportunities the UK Offers by:

Developing a Go-to-Market Strategy

Building a Successful Channel

Becoming a Cyber Security Super Star

Following the Path Others Laid Out for You

And More!

Contact a local Code Red representative todayWe are ready to help you!

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Infographic: Launch Trajectory

Foreword

Developing a Go-to-Market Strategy for the UK

Building a Successful Channel Strategy


Channel launch case study: Vectra

Channel launch case study: Duo Security

Channel launch case study: Watchful Software

Contact

http://www.coderedsecuritypr.comhttp://www.coderedsecuritypr.com/contact-code-red-security-pr-network/


Launch Trajectory

< 6 MosPre-launch < 12 Mos < 18 Mos


“The timing has never been better to launch a global expansion

as enterprises around the worldhunger for innovative

new solutions.”Dianne Canham,

Founder, éclat Marketing and

Code Red Security PR Network

Launch your Cyber Security Company in the UK

http://www.coderedsecuritypr.comhttp://www.coderedsecuritypr.com/contact-code-red-security-pr-network/https://eclat.co.uk/http://www.coderedsecuritypr.com


The global cyber security market is in the midst of an

unprecedented boom, presenting a golden opportunity for any

vendor with the resources and strategy to capitalise on the

demand. Leading analyst firm Gartner valued the information

security market at $86.4 billion in 2017, and predicts an increase

of seven percent to $93 billion this year. The timing has never

been better to launch a global expansion as enterprises around

the world hunger for innovative new solutions.

With its vibrant technology scene and strong financial sector,

the UK is a natural first target for any vendor planning an

international launch, particularly those based in the US, which

benefit from a shared culture and language.

However, carrying out a successful launch is easier said than

done. While full of opportunity, the UK is also crowded, with

fierce competition from other international vendors and its

own home-grown companies.

Dianne CanhamFounder of éclat Marketing and Code Red Security PR Network

After two decades spent helping technology and security

companies make a name for themselves in the UK, I felt now

was an ideal time to share some of my experience with this

guide. Over the next few pages, you’ll find not only advice

from me, but also from Justine Cross of EMEA Channels, and

Cloud Distribution’s Adam Davison. Between us we will provide

advice covering the entire launch process, including planning

the initial go-to-market, creating a channel network, and

establishing a PR strategy.

Without local expertise and support on the ground, a launch can quickly turn into a money pit that fizzles out within the year.

Launch your Cyber Security Company in the UK


Contact the EMEA Channels team

Need help developing a Channel Program that suits the EMEA region?


http://www.coderedsecuritypr.comhttp://www.emea-channels.com/



Justine CrossDirector and co-founder, EMEA Channels

The challenge of standing out from the crowd, combined with

high cost of failure, means that it is imperative that a vendor

is well prepared before entering the UK market. There is a lot

of groundwork that needs to be completed for a successful

go-to-market strategy, and it is vital that proper research and

planning is done in advance.

Many vendors – particularly more successful ones – will enter

the UK and expect to immediately begin seeing orders flooding

in, but the reality is that a proper launch will generally need at

least 12 to 18 months to build momentum.

Ultimately, you need to take this knowledge and establish how

your offering will be presented and sold in the UK. Are you

coming in as a mass-market commodity in a crowded space,

or are you selling a niche solution with a more limited scope

for specific verticals or company types?

The answer to this question will help you decide what kind of

market strategy you should launch with. If your market is full

of competitors with similar offerings, it will put increased pres-

sure on differentiating yourself, especially if the competition

is local. Conversely, if the market is largely unfamiliar with

your type of solution and there is no competition, you will

need to do much more groundwork explaining the concepts

around what you do and why it matters. This will need to be

reflected throughout your marketing and PR activity.

The UK is an extremely open market for cyber vendors, with a high level of demand for security solutions and services.





Whether you go direct, single tier or two tier, it’s important

to establish a clear, clean sales and channel strategy early

on. A muddled strategy can lead to taking sales from channel

partners - including the margins they would have earned from

closing the sale themselves. A vendor that is inexperienced

with the channel is also more likely to make mistakes in the

process of closing the deal themselves, which will lead to

more work for the partner to fix.

The time difference is one of the biggest barriers to attempting

to manage a UK launch from the US, particularly for vendors

based on the West Coast who will have to contend with being

eight hours behind. Having a high level of support for your

channel is crucial, particularly early on in a launch, and your

partners will really struggle if they must wait an entire working

day every time they need something. Attempting to sell directly

across the time difference presents an even greater challenge

unless your team is happy to work very unsociable hours on

a regular basis.

Depending on your level of commitment, it might be wiser to

go with a third-party consultant, as this will cut down on costs

and give you more flexibility until you are more established.

An experienced consultant will be armed with both knowledge

of the local market and a collection of contacts that includes

both prospects and channel partners, which can greatly reduce

your time-to-market.

With so many moving parts, it’s vital that a vendor takes its

time, rather than trying to rush through or assuming that

the US strategy will get the job done. However, with proper

preparation and planning, and enough patience, a vendor can

unlock powerful new opportunities in one of the most exciting

markets in the world – as well as opening the gateway to the

rest of Europe.





Introduction

Watchful Software was a specialist in data

classification that was launched in the US

in 2012. Its solutions enabled businesses

to manage and secure mission critical

data, protecting them from both insider

threats and external attackers. Its flagship

RightsWATCH solution was designed to

automatically implement security policies

for data classification and labelling.

UK go-to-market

In 2015, business development and channel

specialist Justine Cross was appointed

to manage the company’s go-to-market

strategy for the UK and Europe. Justine

comments: “Watchful very much had

the right technology to be successful in

the UK, but we had to be very smart to

compete on a local level with an established

presence like Boldon James in the market.”

Establishing the channel

Within 12 months, Watchful had recruited

20 resellers across the UK and other

key European markets including Poland,

Denmark and Italy. The ideal partners

were boutique firms where Watchful’s

solutions would be an important part of

the portfolio, rather than just an item on a

long list. An important part of the launch

plan was coordinating training and ensuring

strong motivation among partners.

Launching PR in the UK

Watchful looked at several PR companies

before choosing cyber security specialist

éclat Marketing. A major factor in the

decision was the agency’s payment-

by-results model, which ensured that

éclat’s pay was directly tied to achieving

powerful results for Watchful.

éclat secured 44 pieces of press coverage

within the first 12 months of the

engagement alone, including 14 journalist

interviews and 10 thought leadership

pieces. The total readership in the first

year reached just under three million.

Coverage included key IT, security and

channel publications including IT Pro,

Infosecurity, CRN and Channelnomics.

Results

As a result of the successful go-to-market

approach in the UK, Watchful Software

was able to significantly increase its global

profile. The firm was acquired by Symantec

in May 2017, with its leading RightsWATCH

software being rebranded into Information

Centric Tagging (ICT) inside Symantec’s

Information Centric Security product suite.

Developing a Go-to-Market Strategy: Case Study

http://www.coderedsecuritypr.comhttp://www.emea-channels.com/http://



“With proper preparation and planning,and enough patience, you can unlockpowerful new opportunities in one ofthe most exciting markets in the world.”

Justine Cross,

Director and co-founder, EMEA Channels


http://www.coderedsecuritypr.comhttp://www.emea-channels.com/http://www.emea-channels.com/

Contact Cloud Distribution Ltd.

Need help building your Channel Network for the EMEA region?


http://www.coderedsecuritypr.comhttps://www.cloud-distribution.com/



A good distributor is really the lynchpin to a successful channel,

and the decision on the appointment of the right partner

needs to be considered carefully. As a distributor, we also do

as much due diligence as possible before signing up with a

new vendor. This includes our own in-house investigation into

the company to establish important elements such as their

backers and how much investment they have behind them.

We also speak to friendly end users and partners to get an

independent, honest opinion on the technology the vendor

will be bringing to the market.

Ideally, disruptive vendors with innovative but untested

technology should look to find a distributor that has the right

balance of size. They should be established enough to have

the connections and resources for a demanding campaign, but

small enough to be nimble and assign the vendor as a priority.

It can also be beneficial to partner with a distributor who

specialises in a particular field of technology. Specialists are

guaranteed to have a high level of knowledge and experience

with your type of solution, and a head start on getting to grips

with newer, cutting edge products.

A good distributor will have a large stable of reseller contacts

specialising in different types of technology and target

companies. The next step will be to establish a selection of

partners that have the best mix of experience and contacts

for the vendor’s objectives.

Adam DavisonDirector of Sales at Cloud Distribution Ltd.

Easily the biggest issue between the US and UK is the perception of what exactly a distributor does.





It’s usually beneficial to have a smaller core of well-chosen,

proactive channel partners rather than a larger, sprawling

network. A smaller number of partners means that the

opportunities the vendor identifies are passed through the

same five or eight people every time, which enables them to

build momentum.

Working with a smaller network means a vendor is more

important for each of their partners. Closing £50m worth of

deals across 100 different partners means that a vendor’s

solution won’t be a particularly important part of any one

reseller’s stack. On the other hand, closing £50m through just

five core resellers will establish the vendor as an important

partner.

Sales margins can be one of the of the most sensitive elements

of a channel agreement, but it’s very important these are agreed

to the satisfaction of both sides. Resellers won’t be motivated

to get out there and knock on doors for niche technology for

a five per cent margin when they could be making the same

level from a much easier sale for more established brands and

technology. Higher margins will also enable both distributors

and resellers to put more resources into the launch and speed

things up.

Easily the biggest issue between the US and UK is the perception

of what exactly a distributor does. In the US, it’s common to

think of a distributor as purely concerned with logistics, but

in the UK this is just one element of the benefits a distributor

provides. Rather, a distributor is about connecting dots –

getting the right people in contact with the right products at

the right time to accelerate the go-to-market process.

A good distributor can drastically accelerate your time to

launch by starting sales activity while the in-house team

and partners are still gearing up. Activity like pre-built email

campaigns and hands-on workshops can quickly establish

early awareness.





Introduction

Vectra is an innovative specialist in the

cutting-edge field of applying artificial

intelligence to cyber security. Its pioneering

Cognito threat detection and response

platform automates the time and resource-

heavy process of manually analysing

security events. The platform’s advanced

use of AI can reduce attack investigation

workloads by as much as 29 times over,

enabling security teams to respond

to threats with unparalleled speed.

The challenge

Vectra immediately considered the channel

to be an important part of its go to market

strategy. Partnering with a distributor

and establishing a channel network was a

priority from day one, with the aim of fast

tracking end customer engagement and co-

selling with the support from their partners.

As a younger cyber security company

armed with disruptive technology, Vectra

had a very specific set of needs that a

partner network would need to meet.

Matt Walmsley, Head

of EMEA Marketing at

Vectra, comments: “It

was important for us to

find a partner that is truly

‘value add’ and brings

complementary skills to the Vectra value

proposition. We’re looking to partner with

‘market makers’, not ‘market followers’,

who share our technology vision and

understand of the market opportunity.”

Choosing a channel partner

To this end, Vectra opted to find a

distribution partner with a proven track

record for launching companies with

a similar profile in the UK market. Its

search quickly led to Cloud Distribution,

a value-added distributor specialising

in bringing disruptive security and

networking solutions to the UK.

Continued growth

Close to three years on from its initial UK

launch, Vectra has seen solid growth and

strong engagement. The company has

continued to invest in its UK operations,

establishing additional sales teams and

adding supporting functions including local

tech support and professional services.

Buoyed from its success in the UK and

DACH, Vectra has continued its international

expansion, introducing Cognito to new

markets including other locations in

Western Europe, the Nordics, Benelux,

and most recently the Middle East.

Building a Successful Channel Strategy: Case Study

http://www.coderedsecuritypr.comhttps://www.cloud-distribution.com/http://



“A good distributor is the lynchpin to asuccessful channel, and the decision on theappointment of the right partner needs to beconsidered carefully.”

Adam Davison,

Director of Sales, Cloud Distribution Ltd.


http://www.coderedsecuritypr.comhttps://www.cloud-distribution.com/https://www.cloud-distribution.com/


Building your brand in the highly competitive UK cyber security

market is an essential ingredient for success, and PR is the

most impactful and cost-effective way to do that. A unique

advantage of PR over marketing activity is that while marketing

comes down to you saying that you have the best technology

on the market, PR will mean it comes from independent, third-

party influencers, which is much more powerful – especially if

they’re local sources.

One of the most common mistakes is for a vendor to decide

it doesn’t need to invest in localised PR or even marketing of

any kind, because their distributor says they will take care

of building the brand for them. While a good distributor can

work wonders for establishing your route to market, channel

activity needs to be supported by strong PR and marketing

activity to be effective and the vendor should not delegate

their responsibility for the vital task of building their brand in

the market.

The UK security market is so crowded that most journalists in

the field are inundated with offers for comment and interviews

at the best of times – and positively buried alive when a major

incident such as a big-name data breach occurs.

Having local spokespeople will make a stronger impression with

media and analysts to show dedication to building a presence

in the UK market. Likewise, it will also help immeasurably with

securing breaking news opportunities and contributing to

stories with short deadlines.

One of the most common mistakes is for a vendor to decide it doesn’t need to invest in localised PR.


Dianne CanhamFounder of éclat Marketing and Code Red Security PR Network



The WannaCry outbreak, the news that would turn out to be

one of the biggest security stories of 2017, first broke fairly

late in the day for the UK. However, it was still too early for

the US, and those first few hours were crucial in finding a

place in the narrative. Before the end of the day, our team had

clients appearing in broadcast interviews and speaking with

journalists for national newspapers and news agencies.

PR campaigns also need to be localised as much as possible.

Other than certain journalists and publications that have a

more international approach, the majority of the UK press will

be likely to ignore stories that have no local angle, and many

are averse to receiving press release written with American

spelling or quoting values in dollars.

This type of business model creates a greater sense of

shared risk and reward between the agency and vendor and

encourages the agency to focus on proactivity and creativity

over clockwatching.

It’s common practice among US agencies, and many in the UK,

to invoice for their services based on billable hours. However,

a payment-by-results model, where the agency must meet

specific targets or forfeit part of the fee is likely to achieve

far greater results.

When assessing a new agency, you should always try to meet

the team that will be working with you – including account

managers and executives – rather than just meeting with the

agency director or new business contact. This will enable you

to be sure they genuinely do have experience in your field

and you won’t be the guinea pig, as well as testing them on

relevant acronyms, media contacts, and their knowledge of the

security landscape. A specialist in cyber security will enable

you to leverage their established contacts and understanding

of what is current and topical in order to garner coverage, not

only in the trade and specialist security media, but also in the

wider business, national, broadcast and vertical press.




Introduction

Duo Security is a market leading provider of

zero-trust security with Duo Beyond, a sea

change in how organizations secure data

in an increasingly mobile and cloud-based

world. . Duo’s Trusted Access approach

to security confirms the identity

of users and the health of their

devices before they connect to

an organisation’s network and

applications, guarding against

malicious intruders impersonating

legitimate users, and real staff

inadvertently introducing malware

through corrupted endpoints. Duo’s priority

is to make the security process as painless

as possible, enabling staff to focus on their

work while still ensuring maximum security.

Today the company processes 300 million

authentications a month for more than

10,000 customers around the world.

Duo’s solutions are relied upon by a

wide variety of industries, including

technology, education, federal and

healthcare. Its customers include global

market leaders ranging from Etsy and

Facebook to Random House and Yelp.

Launching PR in the UK

Following its success in the

US, Duo expanded into the

UK and EMEA. After launching

its direct sales and channel

networks, Duo opted to add PR

into the mix in 2015. The company

needed a UK PR agency that could quickly

establish a reputation in the UK to match

its status as a dynamic innovator in

the US. Building awareness for Duo’s

unique and disruptive approach to two

factor authentication with key UK press

and analysts was a major priority.

Choosing a PR agency

Establishing a presence in the UK

required an agency with a self-starting

attitude along with deep experience

and contacts with the cyber security

industry. To this end, Duo appointed cyber

security PR specialist éclat Marketing.

After its appointment, éclat was quickly

able to build momentum with the UK

press. The agency used a combination

of hard news stories, rapid response to

breaking news and features, customer

stories and articles to quickly establish

Duo as a leading security thought leader.

Coverage in 2016 and 2017 included:

• 60+ interviews with key press and analysts.

• Securing and drafting 20 opinion articles

on key thought leadership themes.

• Regular coverage in key trade, tier one tech

and national press, including SC Media, The

Register and the BBC.

• The total readership for press coverage in

2017 alone extended to over 57,000,000

readers.

Becoming a Cyber Security Super Star: Case Study



“PR comes from independent, third-party influencers, which is much more powerful – especially if they’re local sources.”

Dianne Canham,

Founder, éclat Marketing and the

Code Red Security PR Network


http://www.coderedsecuritypr.comhttp://www.coderedsecuritypr.com/contact-code-red-security-pr-network/https://eclat.co.uk/http://www.coderedsecuritypr.com


éclat MarketingDianne CanhamThe Old Stables, Rectory FarmBroadway Rd, LightwaterSurrey, GU18 5SH, UKTel: +44 (0) 1276 486 000

EMEA ChannelsJustine CrossArosfa, Pentwyn RoadPontypool, NP4 7TA, UKTel: +44 7400 248828

Cloud Distribution Ltd.Adam Davison100 Brook Drive, Green ParkReading, RG2 6UJ, UKTel: +44 1635 800410

Contact us


HomeTable of ContentsLaunch Trajectory TimelineLaunch your Cyber Security Company in the UKIntoduction by Dianne Canham

Developing a Go-to-Market Strategy Introduction by Justine Cross

Go-to-Market Case Study: Watchful SoftwareBuilding a Successful Channel StrategyIntroduction by Adam Davison

Channel Strategy Case Study: VectraBecoming a Cyber Security Super StarIntroduction by Dianne Canham

Public Relations Case Study: Duo SecurityContact us!

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LAUNCH - Zeekhoe Communicatie · 2019-08-07 · Channel launch case study: Duo Security Channel launch case study: Watchful Software Contact. Contact a local Code Red representative