5 Companies That Came To Win This Week

For the week ending Nov. 20, CRN takes a look at the companies that brought their ‘A’ game to the channel.

The Week Ending Nov. 20

Topping this week’s Came to Win list is cybersecurity company FireEye for a strategic acquisition that will add automated threat investigation capabilities to its technology portfolio.

Also making the list is Juniper Networks for launching a revamped partner program, Pax8 for debuting its first tool to help MSPs manage their business, solution provider Atos for its $2.4 billion OneCloud initiative to help speed customer cloud migrations, and cybersecurity startup Cato Networks for an impressive funding round.

FireEye Buys Cybersecurity Automation Firm Respond Software For $186 Million

FireEye this week bought startup Respond Software, a developer of cybersecurity automation investigation technology, in a move that will allow FireEye to add extended detection and response capabilities to its technology offerings. The $186 million deal closed Wednesday.

Respond Software, based in Mountain View, Calif., develops cloud-native, AI-based software that automates the correlation of multisourced attack evidence using data science models that ingest data from a comprehensive set of security tools. That accelerates cybersecurity investigations and response efforts by reducing the time spent investigating false-positive alerts.

FireEye will add Respond’s technology to its Mandiant Advantage cybersecurity platform, helping customers more quickly identify the signals of a serious threat and respond faster to halt attacks.

In other notable acquisitions this week, Cisco Systems’ purchase of Banzai Cloud will expand the networking giant’s expertise in cloud computing and Kubernetes while IBM’s acquisition of APM startup Instana will boost the company’s AI automation capabilities.

Juniper, Mist Partner Program Revamp Signals ‘Bold’ Channel Moves

Juniper Networks is integrating the previously separate Juniper and Mist Systems partner programs with the goal of not just simplifying its approach to partner programs, but to focus on growth in the enterprise space and encourage partners to sell more cloud-delivered, AI-based services and solutions.

Juniper outlined its channel plans and goals this week at the company’s virtual Juniper Partner Summit, which featured channel veteran Gordon Mackintosh, who joined the company as channel chief earlier this year.

The revamped partner program will provide a single interface and deal registration process for Juniper and Mist partners. The program also offers tools and resources that provide partners with visibility into the performance of their Juniper business, a new tier system that’s based on partner value and not just sales volume, and new rebates and incentives.

Juniper CEO Rami Rahim said his company is “investing heavily” in the channel this year and that “we are being bold in the investments we are making in our partners.” Juniper launched its new Juniper Enterprise+ channel program in March with an eye on propelling sales growth in the enterprise space.

This was a good week for Juniper Networks, which also landed in the Leaders Quadrant of Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Wired and Wireless LAN 2020.

Pax8 Debuts Pax8 Pro, First Tool For MSPs

Cloud distributor Pax8 is winning applause from its partners for debuting its first management tool for MSPs.

Pax8 Pro is designed to give MSPs more visibility into their networks, plugging the blind spots that can occur between the traditional professional services automation tools that MSPs use to run their business.

Pax8 Pro, for example, can help MSPs spot unused licenses, identify times where multifactor authentication has been turned off, and better see automation features that MSPs use to on-board and off-board users. The software works by integrating with Microsoft 365 and other applications.

Pax8 Pro is not intended to replace PSA tools, but to augment them “and make the ecosystem function more effectively for MSPs,” Pax8 Chief Technology Officer Michael Dehmlow told CRN.

Atos OneCloud Initiative Launches With $2.4 Billion Commitment

French IT services giant Atos, which has been expanding its presence in the U.S. with a series of acquisitions, wins kudos this week for its OneCloud initiative aimed at accelerating its customers’ migration to cloud computing.

Atos said it was committing $2.4 billion to the Atos OneCloud effort.

The OneCloud program, which incorporates 10 key Atos capabilities, is designed to provide a one-stop shop for customers in specific vertical industries. The Atos capabilities include multi-cloud orchestration, a next-generation private cloud platform, AI and machine-learning capabilities, cloud application development, cybersecurity services, and other technologies and areas of expertise.

Atos has been expanding its operations in the U.S. through a series of acquisitions in recent years, including its $3.4 billion acquisition of Syntel in 2018 and last month’s acquisition of Salesforce consulting firm Eagle Creek.

SASE Specialist Cato Networks Secures Its Largest Funding Round Yet

Cybersecurity startup Cato Networks scored big in the venture financing race this week, raising $130 million in Series E financing in a round that brings the company’s total funding to $332 million.

Cato Networks, which supplies secure access service edge (SASE) technology and combines security and SD-WAN capabilities in the cloud, had a market valuation of $1 billion prior to the latest funding.

The new funding comes on the heels of a $77 million financing round in April.