On Sept. 17, I hosted our first NextWave Huddle, a global channel partner webcast and a key component of my commitment to deliver more clear and consistent communications to you, our partners in FY16.
If you couldn’t attend, click here to listen to the replay and click here to review the presentation.
Together in FY15 we drove phenomenal results: we had nearly 500 partners double their business in FY15, we had more than 12,000 partner security professionals earn technology or sales certifications and we added a record-breaking, 2,000-plus new customers in Q4 FY15, bringing our total number of customers to more than 26,000 worldwide.
Make no mistake, we wouldn’t be the company we are today without you, our partners, and we can’t achieve our goal of becoming the largest enterprise security company in the next two years without expanding the scale and productivity of our partner ecosystem. To achieve this we will focus on three key pillars:
- Building a channel partner ecosystem that provides the coverage, capacity and capabilities to elevate our leadership position in the enterprise security market.
- Optimizing our channel programs, training, tools, systems & initiatives to strengthen partner differentiation & profitability.
- Remaining committed to those partners that are investing in us.
By focusing on these pillars we have an opportunity to drive unprecedented success, as long as we keep you aware and informed. With this in mind, let me highlight a couple of key items for Q1 FY16:
- We have a new evaluation tool for you to use with customers, called the Security Lifecycle Review (SLR). Click here to download the Quick Start Guide for Partners today.
- On Sept. 15, we announced Aperture, a new SaaS security offering. Make sure you understand Aperture and the opportunity to expand your security business.
- We have a huge opportunity ($80B) to help transform the data center with VMware, make sure you understand the VMware NSX plus Palo Alto Networks
- If you aren’t already, start following us on Twitter @NextWavePartner for real-time updates.
I couldn’t be more excited about the opportunity in front us. We are in the right market with the right strategy, philosophy, platform and partnerships. I am confident we are building a world class channels organization, which includes you, our partners, and look forward to accelerating together in FY16.
Go Palo Alto Networks.
Ron Myers