Big Data Startup Iguazio Debuts Its First Channel Program, Seeks VARs And SIs With Vertical Industry Expertise

Big data startup Iguazio has launched its inaugural channel program in a bid to globally recruit VAR, systems integrator and OEM partners to work with its unified data system.

Iguazio, which officially launched its Continuous Data Platform last September, is turning to the channel as the company moves beyond early adopter customers to reach a broader market.

"It's basically scale-up time for the business and the best way to scale is through partners and the channel," said CEO Asaf Somekh in an interview with CRN.

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Iguazio, founded in 2014 and based in Herzliya, Israel, develops its unified data turnkey system that ingests, enriches and analyzes data from a wide range of sources, simplifying the development and deployment of data-driven applications.

(The name "Iguazio" comes from the Iguazio waterfalls on the border between Argentina and Brazil – Somekf likens the falls to the huge flows of data businesses are struggling with today.)

Iguazio has been working with a few "boutique" systems integrators, Somekh said, who have been introducing the company's software on a regional basis in such vertical industries as telecommunications, manufacturing and financial services for applications in Internet of Things, cyber security, business analytics and more.

Wednesday Iguazio unveiled its global channel partner program with the goal of recruiting systems integrators, VARs and OEMs to resell the Continuous Data Platform. Somekh said the company is seeking partners to expand Iguazio's reach into targeted regions around the world, such as those with specific language requirements, and vertical markets where industry-specific knowledge and technical skills are needed.

The company will also be looking to recruit systems integrators that have expertise and other capabilities – including security clearances – to sell to U.S. government agencies.

"Our channel program's regional and vertical focus addresses the needs of Iguazio's early customers and prospects in the US, Europe and Asia," said Somekh. "Our partners leverage Iguazio's technology and we've been thrilled to see them expand upon it by creating value and building integrated solutions for robust, distributed data architectures in dedicated industries, such as manufacturing and financial services."

LC Systems is one of Iguazio's early partners, incorporating the Iguazio software into a number of projects in big data engineering, security and IoT analytics, according to Rolf Niederer, CEO of the Seestrasse, Switzerland-based company.

"It's really an easy way to close the gap between data lakes and providing Data-as-a-Service, Niederer said in an interview with CRN, noting the ability of the Iguazio system to integrate many data types and provide a single, comprehensive view of the information.

"With Iguazio, you are losing quite a bit of the complexity on the maintenance side," Niederer said.

The new partner program will offer a range of training, certification and support resources to help partners develop solutions around the Iguazio product and serve their customers, Somekh said. Central to that is the iCDE (certified data engineer) certification program Iguazio will offer to ensure partners have the skills and expertise they need.

The program also will provide joint-marketing resources and partner incentives, although Somekh acknowledged those will initially be somewhat limited given the startup's own tight resources.

While LC Systems now has good contacts with Iguazio's engineers and developers, Niederer expects the new partner program to provide access to a wider group of people within Iguazio, including on the sales and marketing side. That, along with anticipated marketing collateral and other assistance, should help LC Systems during the sales cycle.

Iguazio also works with 3K Technologies, a Milpitas, Calif.-based solution provider, and OneAsia Network in Hong Kong.