Data Observability Startup Cribl Bolsters Partner Program

With the initiative Cribl is looking to provide partners with more formal deal and revenue protection and engagement policies, new specializations and certifications, and a greatly expanded self-service partner portal.

Saying it’s time to take its channel efforts to the next level, data observability tech developer Cribl this week launched a major expansion of its partner program with new MSSP and professional service specializations, deal and revenue protection, and a revamped partner portal with new self-service capabilities.

Cribl, founded in 2017, has had a partner program in place since 2019, but channel chief Zac Kilpatrick told CRN that until now its partner operations have been relatively informal as the company focused on evangelizing its observability technology and recruiting early adopter partners.

“It’s been sort of a handshake,” said Kilpatrick (pictured), who has been Cribl vice president of global channels and alliances for close to two years. “We operated on a contract and a basic idea of how we’re going to engage together.”

[Related: Cribl raises $150M In Funding, Expands Data Observability Pipeline Lineup]

But with the company’s increased partner roster and growing partner deals and sales volumes, the new Cribl Partner Program is designed to provide “the foundation for [partners] to trust that we’re going to help them build their businesses,” Kilpatrick said. “We’re a partner-first organization.”

The expanded program is not only centered on jointly generating revenue, but also on measuring partner engagement, enabling partners through certification, helping partners differentiate themselves in the marketplace, and creating pathways for partners to advance within the program, according to the company.

“We’re trying to make things really simple. We don’t have time for complexity,” Kilpatrick said. “We just want to keep it really simple. Make sure there’s profit in it for partners. Make sure that they understand their route to revenue and differentiation. And ultimately make sure that we’re protecting them against their competitors [and] also making sure they have the ability to provide value to our customers.”

The company also has been building up its channel team, Kilpatrick said, including adding partner business managers who work with channel partners.

Cribl works with a range of partners including VARs and resellers such as Optiv and Guidepost, boutique systems integrators, professional service providers in data management and MDR (managed detection and response) security, managed security service providers (MSSPs), and cloud platform companies Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud.

Cribl has grown its partner base by about 40 percent over the last year and partner bookings have exploded 146 percent year over year, the channel chief said.

The company is also working on establishing strategic alliances with a number of global systems integrators and major technology vendors, according to Kilpatrick, but isn’t ready to make any announcements.

The two-tier (Premier and Elite) program includes deal registration, deal and revenue protection processes and policies, an engagement model for working with Cribl’s sales representatives, and protection for market development fund access. Tier placement is based on sales volume, sourced deals, bookings, the number of certified pre-sales and sales representatives, and other criteria.

The program includes new MSSP and Professional Services specializations and offers certifications through the Cribl University program.

The new partner portal is designed to enable self-service access to marketing tools, content and resources, including materials for running marketing campaigns, and for submitting MDF requests. “This really broadens our ability to activate all these partners,” Kilpatrick said.

In addition to better serving current partners Cribl will leverage the new program as part of its ongoing partner recruitment efforts, especially in the EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) region.