Channel Veteran Steve Pataky Joins Data Security Startup Ubiq Security

Early stage startup Ubiq Security has tasked Pataky with building out the infrastructure needed to support solution providers, including channel programs, contracts, enablement, training and marketing.

SonicWall, FireEye and Juniper Networks go-to-market veteran Steve Pataky has landed at Ubiq Security to build out the early stage security startup’s presence in the channel.

The San Diego-based vendor has tasked Pataky with building out all of the infrastructure needed to support solution providers, including channel programs, contracts, enablement, training and marketing. Ubiq Security exited stealth at the start of 2019, has 25 employees, and launched products in the spring focused on securing data in the enterprise and integrating security into IoT software development.

“For me, it has to be a channel play,” Pataky told CRN exclusively. “I kind of have a blank slate.”

[Related: Channel Champion Steve Pataky To Depart SonicWall After Three Years]

Pataky started at Ubiq Security as chief channel officer and head of Americas sales on Oct. 1 with a set of blueprints detailing what needs to be done from an infrastructure, tools and partnership standpoint to build a channel program from scratch. He most recently spent two and a half years as SonicWall’s senior vice president and chief revenue officer following the platform security vendor’s split from Dell in late 2016.

Ubiq Security plans to rely on security resellers, systems integrators, MSSPs and the IoT channel to get its products in the hands of customers, according to Pataky. The company wants to have a sound value proposition for partners that rewards those who have invested most heavily with Ubiq, Pataky said.

The products are primarily intended for users with at least 30 seats, although the company hopes to leverage multitenancy tools to helps MSSPs go after customers with less than 30 seats, according to Ubiq Chief Revenue Officer Scott McCrady. Pricing starts at over four figures for smaller enterprises, with the per-user cost decreasing as the number of users rises, McCrady said.

The Ubiq Security Partner Program will have three tiers—Authorized, Gold and Platinum—and Pataky said he hopes to enroll between 10 and 25 partners in the first quarter and 100 solution providers within the first year. Pataky expects interest in Ubiq’s data protection products to be most pronounced in data-intensive verticals like legal and financial services.

“I’m going to focus on things that work but don’t irk,” Pataky said.

Authorized partners are expected to sell at least $250,000 of Ubiq technology each year and have two trained sales personnel and one trained technical individual, according to Pataky. These partners will be eligible for a 20 percent discount, Pataky said, as well as partner content, logos and training on the front end.

Meanwhile, Pataky said that Ubiq’s Gold partners are expected to sell at least $500,000 of the company’s technology each year and have four trained sales personnel and two trained technical personnel. Gold partners will be rewarded with a 25 percent discount, as well as the opportunity to be supported by a dedicated Ubiq channel account manager or territory manager.

And Platinum partners are expected to sell at least $1 million of Ubiq’s technology each year and have eight trained sales personnel and four trained technical personnel, according to Pataky. Platinum partners will earn a 30 percent discount, Pataky said, and have the chance to gain a dedicated manager for lead generation.

Going forward, Pataky said Ubiq plans to roll out a deal registration program that provides consistent perks to solution providers in all tiers as well as rebates that will be structured into the plan. Ubiq is designing video-based training to make it easier for solution providers to meet their requirements in that area, according to Pataky.

From a metrics standpoint, Pataky said Ubiq plans to initially focus on how many new partners it’s engaging and signing as well as how long it takes for signed partners to close their first deal and achieve meaningful revenue. Ubiq also plans to monitor partner consumption of sales and technical training and enablement as a leading indicator of commitment to the market.

“At the end of the day, you do have to get excited about the technology,” Pataky said. “This is the place I’ve got to be.”