Gamma's direct selling has left 'sour taste in partners' mouths' - Exponential-e
Exponential-e has slammed rival Gamma for competing with its partners since going public.
The networking specialist claims to have taken advantage of partner frustrations with its competitor since it listed on the AIM market in 2014, according to its head of channel.
Alp Kostem told CRN that Gamma has been going direct more since its listing, which has sowed seeds of discontent in its partner base.
"We have a direct sales force but we're honest about it and have processes and procedures on managing conflict and how we segregate salesforces," he said.
"Whereas Gamma has gone about it differently, which has led to a sour taste in some of their smaller partners' mouths in terms of the way they feel they're being treated."
Konstem claimed that as Exponential-e has been investing heavily in public sector and enterprise, it rarely comes up against its partners and when it does, both parties are offering different solutions for the respective tender - which is a different story to what he claimed Gamma partners are experiencing.
"Gamma is competing directly, which has led to disillusionment among partners and we have picked up some of that business that we haven't had before," he stated.
"No partner ever defects fully because strong relationships are always in play but we definitely picked up business we wouldn't have picked up [because of how Gamma has acted].
"If vendor partners don't run an operation that is transparent and clear, partners don't like it and won't deal with them."
Exponential-e plays in both the vendor and MSP spaces, with the channel boss stating that each space is defined by the type of solutions it sells.
"We see ourselves in certain aspects of our product portfolio as an actual provider; in some instances we are a vendor-reseller and in other cases, we are an MSP," he explained.
"Five years ago I would have said we were more in the vendor side, but the product mix we sell on an annualised basis is moving closer to a traditional MSP-type service through the channel."
The company recently filed its fiscal year ending 31 January 2019, with revenues rising 13 per cent to £130m, of which Kostem said 45 per cent comes from channel sales.
The channel head stressed that this growth was organic and that M&A doesn't play a part in its strategy, but rather that certain elements of its portfolio are in high demand.
Cloud and the public sector are currently the fastest-growing sides of the business, according to Kostem, but security may well outpace them this year.
"I think the demand for security has shot up because our security operations centre (SOC) is fully operational now," he explained.
"I think there is a pent-up demand because most of our channel partners are buying and so educating and putting something in front of them that they can easily resell to their partner base [is driving demand].
"In essence, it's quite an easy upsell. The fact is we have a lot of product in the ground; we have a lot of wide area networks, partners and end users so it's a lot easier to sell into those customers who have experience of using our partners and us combined."
The networking provider is also experiencing "unprecedented" demand for SD-WAN, with Kostem stating that it has deployed its own software on seven big projects, and has been a part of 50 more.
"It is still not a mature product," he said.
"I am a great believer in horses for courses - in certain industries there is no need for this technology, but for others - retail, construction - there is a real need and it brings lots of benefits.
"Sometimes when we come into the selling point we are supplying the WAN so understanding what the end customer is trying to achieve doesn't always dictate an SD-WAN solution.
"There is a perception in the marketplace of it being more competitive in terms of price instead of the traditional multi-protocol label switching (MPLS)…but it will be cost-neutral in month 40 of a deal so there's not much in the way of cost benefits.
"The way to come at it is the benefits it brings to the day-to-day running - it has lots of efficiency savings to be made there."
source channelweb
Industry: Telecommunications News
Latest Jobs
-
- Account Director | Cyber Security Consulting | UK - South East
- London
- N/A
-
Account Director | Cyber Security Consulting - Financial Services | UK - South East. New Role due to Growth We are looking for an experienced Account Director to develop and expand existing relationships across the financial services sector, working with investment firms, asset managers, private equity groups and strategic partners to deliver intelligent cyber consulting and a bespoke Cyber product offerings. You will act as a trusted advisor, helping organisations strengthen digital resilience, manage third-party and regulatory risk and adopt a proactive approach to cyber assurance. Key Responsibilities Manage a defined portfolio of financial clients, understanding business priorities and aligning tailored cyber solutions. Drive new client engagement while nurturing existing partnerships through a consultative, long-term approach. Present the benefits of advanced cyber services including threat intelligence, vulnerability management, incident readiness, and continuous risk monitoring. Collaborate with technical and delivery teams to ensure smooth engagement from proposal through to implementation and ongoing support. Prepare proposals, negotiate commercial terms, and clearly articulate value and business outcomes. Build trusted relationships at senior and board level. Ideal Profile Strong background in cybersecurity, consulting, or risk management within financial services. Skilled communicator with proven success managing and growing key accounts. Able to translate complex technical insight into commercial and strategic value for clients. Confident engaging with senior stakeholders and decision makers. Please note: Sponsorship is not available.
-
- SOC Analyst- Level 2- Hybrid Greater London
- London
- N/A
-
SOC Analyst- Level 2- Hybrid Greater London New opportunity created through continued growth. We’re looking for a SOC Analyst (Level 2) to strengthen a growing managed security team. You’ll work hands-on with Microsoft Sentinel and Defender XDR, investigating alerts, responding to incidents, and helping improve how clients stay protected. This role is ideal for someone who enjoys unravelling security events, thinking critically under pressure, and making a real difference day to day. What you’ll do · Investigate and respond to security activity across SIEM and endpoint tools · Analyse network and log data to uncover real threats · Support automation initiatives to streamline response processes · Help maintain visibility, data flow, and performance across SOC platforms What you’ll need · Practical experience using Microsoft Sentinel and Defender XDR · Confident working with KQL or similar query languages · Understanding of attacker tactics and response techniques · SC-200 certifications would be nice. · Experience supporting multiple customer environments Please note: Sponsorship is not available.
-
- Senior SOC Engineer - UK - New role due to growth
- London
- N/A
-
Senior SOC Engineer – New role due to growth We are hiring a Senior SOC Engineer to take the lead across security operations for a growing managed service. You will lead detection, response and onboarding activity across multiple clients, helping shape how the SOC evolves. Expect variety; from fine-tuning alerts and threat hunting to supporting customers and mentoring junior analysts. What you’ll bring · Strong experience across SIEM, EDR, and threat detection tools · Confident working with customers in a managed service environment · Skilled in scripting or query languages such as KQL or PowerShell · Knowledge of frameworks like NIST, ISO27001, MITRE ATT&CK · Calm communicator with a problem-solving mindset · Experience with Azure Lighthouse or delegated access models · Prior involvement in automation or SOC improvement projects Location: South East England- Hybrid role Please note: Sponsorship cannot be offered now or in the future.
-
- SENIOR Cyber Risk Consultant. Cyber Risk consultancy - the right way. UK. Hybrid - Remote first
- United Kingdom
- N/A
-
Senior Cyber Risk Consultant needed. New position due to growth Seeking a passionate Cyber Security Risk Consultant who enjoys helping clients make a different to their business. Dedicated training budgets, Unlimited holiday structured career path, Work life balance guaranteed Cyber Risk consultancy done the right way. A successful individual will have experience working with clients to identify business cyber security risk. This is a remote first opportunity which means you will spend the majority of your time working remotely. You will however spend some time meeting clients as well as meeting up with the team on a monthly basis.. Some of the nice to have certifications. CRISC, ISO27001 Lead implementer, CISA, CISM, CISSP Unable to offer Visa sponsorship now or in the future.