Meta Networks Unveils Partner Program
Software-defined perimeter (SDP) specialist Meta Networks on Monday launched a formal partner program.
SDP is an emerging area in IT security, with analysts at Gartner last year identifying it as one of the top 10 security approaches to keep an eye on. Generally replacing virtual private networks, an SDP uses software-defined policies to put users at the center of the network security model, identifying those users in policies and determining what resources they can access.
Meta Networks executives position their approach as zero-trust, meaning that users don't have default access to resources within the network. Instead, they only see and access resources that they need for their jobs. Meta layers its SDP as an encrypted cloud service, or Network as a Service (NaaS), delivered via points of presence around the world that customers connect to. The NaaS supports connections from on-site users and remote users, from datacenters and from clouds, including public clouds like Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure.
Meta Networks calls its partner program the Meta NaaS Channel Program, and it is designed for managed security service providers, VARs, VADs, integrators and IT service providers. Current Microsoft channel partners are a key potential source of partners, said Director of Sales Royi Barnea, due to the tight integration of Meta's products with Microsoft infrastructure software and services.
The initial program is three-tier, with Silver, Gold and Platinum levels for financial rewards and incentives. The program also includes standard components, such as training, certification, demo solutions, sales and marketing materials, sales leads and market development funds.
Palo Alto, Calif-based Meta Networks has also built an indirect account management team and dedicated partner services team.
One early market opportunity for SDP is VPN replacement to provide secure, browser-based remote access to applications for contractors, partners and customers, company officials say. Another popular use case is secure remote access for employees.
The solution is tailored for medium-sized organizations, Barnea said. "Organizations with 300 to 5,000 users are a perfect fit and a very fast sales cycle," he said. "Sales average two weeks to a month, and sales reps like that very quick win and small and fast sales cycle."
Posted by Scott Bekker on September 17, 2018