Perimeter 81 Launches Partner Program For SASE-Minded MSPs: Exclusive

‘Our MSPs are going to be extremely significant in delivering our solution because their customers are coming to them looking for pure, cloud-based secure Network as a Service,’ says Bob Kilbride, Perimeter 81’s channel chief.

Perimeter 81 launched an official partner program to help MSPs nab deals in the red-hot secure access service edge (SASE) “space race,” according to Channel Chief Bob Kilbride.

The cloud networking market grew by leaps and bounds in 2020 as IT requirements changed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Perimeter 81 has experienced significant growth—400 percent year over year—and now is the time to loop in more partners, Kilbride, vice president of channel sales for Perimeter 81, told CRN exclusively.

“The whole goal of the program is to enable MSPs to deliver a differentiated and unique service with and around Perimeter 81,” he said. “Our MSPs are going to be extremely significant in delivering our solution because their customers are coming to them looking for pure, cloud-based secure Network as a Service.”

The company today has more than 1,300 customers and is working with more than 100 partners.

[Related: 10 Hot SASE Companies To Watch In 2021]

Perimeter 81 has focused on cloud-based networking and security but recently entered the SASE arena. The company’s offerings can replace legacy and open-source VPN offerings and its portfolio is moving rapidly toward offering a complete SASE service this year, according to the Tel Aviv, Israel-based company.

Channel veteran Bob Kilbride, former channel chief for VMware's CloudHealth business, joined Perimeter 81 as the head of channels for the three-year-old cloud networking provider in February. Kilbride told CRN that he wants to boost channel sales from less than 10 percent to more than 20 percent of Perimeter 81’s business and sign and certify more than 100 new MSPs by the end of 2021.

The new partner program, available Tuesday, will extend support and brand-new benefits to Perimeter 81’s channel ecosystem, Kilbride said, including access to a new partner portal, market development funds and self-paced trainings that will be launching soon. The company is also adding three levels of certifications that partners can earn, including sales, technical and admin certifications.

The Perimeter 81 partner program will include four tiers: Reseller, Professional MSP, Advanced MSP and Premier MSP. The company’s existing partner base will be rolled into the Reseller tier and will be able to advance into higher tiers as they meet growth requirements, Kilbride said.

Via the new program, Perimeter 81 partners will be measured by annual recurring revenue, as well as net-new growth and customer retention, said Lior Haim-Murray, director of global events and channel marketing for the company.

“As [partners] grow their businesses and add more customers, they’re going to unlock more benefits,” Kilbride said. “Everything we are doing in this program is around growing together, adding net-new customers and identifying expansion opportunities.”

Partners are able to offer their own services around Perimeter 81’s offerings as well, Kilbride added. “There’s tremendous opportunity for attach and for pulling in additional services and solutions,” he said.

With plenty of competition in the Network-as-a-Service and SASE space, where Perimeter 81 really wants to shine is in its partner program, Kilbride said. “We’re interested in enabling our partners who will have many customers, who will see this as a solution they can offer proactively to all the customers they are managing and prospective customers as well.”