Dive Brief:
- Palo Alto Networks and NTT Data strengthened an existing partnership with a strategic pact that aims to generate $1 billion in business over the next three years, the two companies said Tuesday. The strategic alliance spans enterprise security operations center modernization, AI governance, cloud resilience, firewall improvements and zero-trust architecture, per the announcement.
- NTT Data will bring more than 2,000 Palo Alto Networks certified professionals and a network of more than 20 cyber defense centers to the joint effort. Palo Alto Networks’ Unit 42 threat intelligence team and an unspecified number of the forward deployed engineers will work alongside the global systems integrator to deliver managed security services, according to the announcement.
- The alliance is Palo Alto Networks’ largest with a GSI to date, Simone Gammeri, chief partnerships officer at Palo Alto Networks, said in an email. “By aligning joint engineering investments, operational delivery and early product access, the agreement transforms a standard vendor-integrator dynamic into a co-led growth engine designed to secure complex global enterprises.”
Dive Insight:
Palo Alto Networks remains intent on growing its formidable channel presence. The company refreshed its partner program in February with a focus on simplifying deal processes, boosting development funding and incentivizing outcomes as well as sales.
The strategic alliance is in Palo Alto Networks’ enterprise wheelhouse, which is large organizations that retain GSIs to manage big-budget modernization projects. Accenture, Cognizant, Deloitte and HCLTech are among the company’s other major GSI partners.
Palo Alto Networks’ broader strategy includes a significant midmarket expansion to deploy its security platform and products to small and midsize businesses. SMBs have been on the company’s agenda for the last year.
“Palo Alto Network smells upmarket because, historically, that's where we have been operating,” Gammeri told Channel Dive in March, just seven months after taking his current position. “But we’ve made tremendous progress removing friction, accelerating processes, repackaging products and launching programs to accelerate downmarket and there is a lot more we plan on doing.”
Earlier this month at its annual partner summit, the company redoubled its midmarket efforts with a Commercial Velocity Program to help partners scale their SMBs operations. The initiative brings enterprise-grade security to smaller companies, Anar Desia, Palo Alto Networks VP of North America channel sales, said in a LinkedIn post.
This week, Palo Alto Networks also deepened its partnerships with OpenAI and Anthropic, aiming to secure critical infrastructure from escalating cyberattacks. The Frontier AI Critical Defense Program will work with open-source communities to deploy network-level patches for vulnerabilities before attackers can exploit them, the company said in the announcement.
