RiskIQ reveals channel expansion plans

Sign showing arrows for Plan A and Plan B

Security risk analysis firm RiskIQ hopes 40 percent of its business will come from the channel in the coming months, as part of its vigorous channel programme.

Using a global proxy network of synthetic clients, RiskIQ discovers and creates an inventory of documented and undocumented web assets, and scans them for copycat mobile apps, drive-by malware and malvertisements.

Trevor Crompton, EMEA channel director at RiskIQ tells Channel Pro: “We’re getting about 20 percent of our business through the channel now and we’re aiming to have 40 percent of our sales sourced from the channel in the future. We want our partners to identify the opportunity to get us into the market.”

Crompton says he wanted to stay away from the usual tiered partner approach, instead responding to business opportunities when they present themselves.

“I wanted to build an economy of partners working together in order to address the huge business opportunity we see in the marketplace today. I think the channel over last 25 years has become very skilled and capable at identifying their marketplace and what's going on with their customers,” he explains.

“We want to give them improved information and resources to make their business better. If they see a £50m opportunity that needs new sales practices and marketing engine, I’ll give them bigger budget. It’s down to the business opportunity, not down to whether they are in the gold, silver or bronze tier.”

RiskIQ currently has 16 active reseller partners in the UK, although it also has a number of others it says are influencing sales.

“There are about 20 that are interested in working with us under contract. We’ve been going since January and this interest demonstrates something new and fresh,” he explains.

Crompton says the company wants “partners that want to do something different and new, who are selling something not represented in the security channel today.”

He adds: “Everyone concentrates on perimeter and endpoint security, but no one is focused on technologies outside of the firewall security in same way as we are.”

He’s especially interested in partners working with financial and digital businesses. “Eight out of ten banks in US are using RiskIQ and we’re working on the banks here too. We have four banking customers in EMEA and that will no doubt grow down the line,” Crompton explains.

The company’s other vertical focuses are internet organisations, including companies that have a large digital footprint or money flowing through websites or mobile apps, while its third core focus is organisations with a level of criticality.

“If a company has one or more of these interests, it’s a big opportunity for RiskIQ,” says Crompton.

Clare Hopping
Freelance writer

Clare is the founder of Blue Cactus Digital, a digital marketing company that helps ethical and sustainability-focused businesses grow their customer base.

Prior to becoming a marketer, Clare was a journalist, working at a range of mobile device-focused outlets including Know Your Mobile before moving into freelance life.

As a freelance writer, she drew on her expertise in mobility to write features and guides for ITPro, as well as regularly writing news stories on a wide range of topics.