Forcepoint announced the appointment of Parag Patel as Senior Vice-President of Global Channel Sales to lead the company’s next-generation partner ecosystem.
Pre-COVID approaches to security are less and less effective, and traditional architectures for handling connectivity and security can no longer keep up. The threat landscape created when hyper-distributed workforces access critical cloud-based data and applications requires a new approach to enterprise security. Forcepoint’s Data-first Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) platform – featuring a best in class set of capabilities that work seamlessly together across on-premises, hybrid and cloud-native environments – delivers a compelling path forward for enterprises of every size.
Under Patel’s leadership, Forcepoint will make strategic investments in its partner ecosystem that accelerate the channel’s transformation into an expert deployment and support arm of the company’s comprehensive Data-first SASE platform.
“We are committed to building a robust, global partner ecosystem for the delivery of cybersecurity solutions that protect critical enterprise data and IP; including partnerships focused on Data-first risk-based solutions,” said John DiLullo, Chief Revenue Officer of Forcepoint.
“Helping our 10,000+ customers migrate securely to the cloud has become Forcepoint’s consuming passion. Our products and our partners are critical fuel for this effort. Parag is a superlative channels leader and an experienced architect of programs that will excite, invigorate and accelerate our partners’ and Forcepoint’s mutual success.”
Patel brings more than 20 years’ experience as a global channels and business development leader renowned for transforming go-to-market (GTM) strategies that drive growth for industry-leading Enterprise SaaS companies. He spent 14 years at VMware, building multiple Routes-to-Market that helped the company grow annual sales from approximately $250M to more than $8B and expanded the global partner ecosystem from hundreds of partners to tens of thousands worldwide. Patel was also responsible for bringing VMware’s hyperconverged platform to market and acquiring over 10,000 customers. Most recently, Patel led a similarly impactful effort helping build transformational partnerships at C3.ai, a leader in Enterprise AI.
“The threat surface that enterprises must protect has exploded in recent years. Compute workloads have become more distributed as workforces have dispersed, and billions of new devices have been added to an already fragile IT ecosystem. Organizations of every size are accelerating their adoption of both Zero Trust and SASE architectures, and Forcepoint has the industry’s most comprehensive and differentiated portfolio offering,” said Parag Patel, Senior Vice-President of Global Channel Sales at Forcepoint. “After more than 20 years of leading global channels and sales teams, I understand the critical role partners play in customer adoption and satisfaction. From Distributors to Solution Providers and Systems Integrators, MSPs, Cloud Partners, OEMs and Technology Alliances, we plan to harness the value of a broad ecosystem to make the enterprise as secure as possible.”
Patel continued, “Our mission is to create friction-free partnerships, to foster a spirit of collaboration in the channel, and to ensure that Forcepoint’s customers receive unparalleled service and support. Securing and protecting our customers is Job #1; nurturing a vibrant partner and alliance ecosystem is Step #1 toward that goal. I am excited to be leading this critical element of Forcepoint’s transformation and look forward to sharing more details in the coming weeks and months.”