Aryaka is relying on value added resellers and distributors to expand its enterprise footprint. The networking and cybersecurity provider is gearing up to drive international sales of its expanded secure access service edge platform with VARs leading the push.
Aryaka has inked deals with more than 30 reseller partners in the EMEA and APAC regions this year. The agent model has been the company’s dominant channel in the U.S.
As Aryaka looks to cultivate a North America reseller channel, it’s anchoring efforts on a partnership with distributor TD Synnex.
The deal is part of a major partner program reconfiguration Aryaka announced last month, led by new VP of Global Channels Nick Alagna. A former channel executive at Akamai Technologies, Alagna joined Aryaka in March, when the company announced an expansion into APAC.
The two-tier program offers upfront financial incentives for members of the top track, rewarding partners that register new customer deals with Aryaka.
“If you're the partner that's doing the work — you're the partner that's bringing the opportunity to the table — we want to reward that,” Alagna told Channel Dive. “We want to protect that and make sure that partner is in the driver's seat to really move that deal forward with us.”
At the same time, Aryaka wants to help partners generate demand, Alagna said. The company has also retooled its market development funds with an eye toward supporting partner events and increasing brand awareness.
Channel account managers will help bridge the gap between partners and Aryaka’s direct sellers.
From SD-WAN to SASE
Aryaka’s channel is evolving and moving up-market in tandem with its technology portfolio.
The company launched as a wide area network optimization company in 2009, expanded into SD-WAN half a decade later and carved out a strong market position for multi-site businesses that needed to connect in China.
More recently, Aryaka added a security layer to its managed platform. In March 2024, the company launched a unified SASE offering that combined policy enforcement and next-gen firewall with its existing private network.
On Wednesday, Aryaka added advanced data loss prevention and generative AI traffic protection to its SASE suite.
More than 60 customers have adopted Aryaka’s the platform, Alagna said. The company has exceeded 500 customers and $100 million in annual recurring revenue, according to Alagna.
Building on a foundation
Aryaka’s investment in resellers is meant to augment the company’s existing channel rather than replace it, according to Alagna.
More than than 80% of Aryaka’s revenue comes via the channel, largely through from technology advisors and technology service distributors. But agents wield less influence in the regions where Aryaka wants to expand. The agency model grew out of U.S. carrier deregulation, and although it has spread to the U.K. and APAC, the VAR channel has stronger foundations in EMEA and APAC. Resellers like Brookcourt Solutions in the U.K. and NTT Hong Kong will help drive the push in EMEA and APAC.
Aryaka isn’t the only SASE provider widening its reseller footprint.
Cato Networks, a direct competitor, moved to recruit more system integrators and VARs in hopes of striking a 50-50 balance between reseller and agent partners in 2023. Akamai, which also provides SASE, recently embraced distribution partners to gain access to more VARs.
However, Aryaka’s agency model is not going away.
“I think we've got to be super clear here; a big part of our channel will continue to be the TSDs and agents,” Alagna said. “We continue to invest with them. We want to do more in that community.”
