Arun ShankarChet Namboodri talks to Enterprise Channels MEA on the skills, services, capabilities, pricing models of its MSSP Elite and Focus partners.
[EC] Nozomi Networks MSSP Partner Programme mentions two types of partner classes with the launch spread over a year. Give us an update on what have been the developments in this partner programme?
[Chet Namboodri] The MSSP announcement we made is an extension of what we had previously announced about a year ago in terms of the MSSP programme that we had launched with our initial tranche of Elite members as we refer to them. The difference here is the target audience with the Elite was for customer demand that we have been seeing from large enterprises. These are end users who have OT and who have needs for industrial cybersecurity but are unable to address those needs and have been looking for consultants to help fill that gap.
The initial MSSP Elite launch was with what two major companies Accenture and IBM. It also included Mandiant, and several others, who were a part of the initial launch. That was to address the large enterprise with hundreds of plants, globally, where there is a need for scale, and these bigger firms are the ones who can address that need.
In terms of the end user, the target is still enterprise, but it moves us into medium and small businesses. Many large enterprises have some OT cyber expertise within their house, but most medium and small operating companies do not. Therefore, there is a bigger need at the right price points for this type of managed service. We are enabling that with our technology, that is ultimately the intent of the programme.
There is a bigger need at the right price points for this type of managed service
[EC] What is the differentiation between Elite and Focus MSSP channel partners?
[Chet Namboodri] We have tried to enable this in a way that we do not differentiate between the types of services that are available. The services that are involved with our MSSP programme, whether it is Elite or Focus, include assessment, it can be an initial or periodic consulting type service. We have what we refer to as our MSSP starter kit, which leverages the Vantage SaaS product to enable engagement around a suitable price point, and gets things started.
We have a Threat Intelligence feed for OT and IoT, which is again a defined SaaS offering, that we have offer untethered from the guardian appliances. MSSPs can purchase our threat feed as part of an offering that helps to protect their end-user customers.
There is design, deploy and configuration, and health check type services. This is on the front end of a managed services engagement where a customer and end-user do not have the technology platforms in place to enable visibility back to the SOC.
Nozomi Networks MSSP Partner Programme
Launched in August 2021, Nozomi Networks MSSP Partner Programme is the industry’s first programme for OT and IoT managed security services. The programme fully equips MSSPs with Nozomi Networks’ OT and IoT cybersecurity solutions, expertise and selling resources. The programme enables MSSPs to generate additional revenue through new lines of business.
Today a strong bench of MSSP Elite and MSSP Focus partners are helping customers strengthen OT and IoT security and resilience. Nozomi Networks’ MSSP Programme goes beyond basic OT and IoT security integrations to support partners with the resources they need:
Specialised training and certifications ensure partners are fully qualified to support customers with deep network visibility, advanced monitoring, and actionable intelligence for the best possible incident response.
Partners have access to an MSSP framework to further develop their industrial security expertise, grow their MSSP practice, expand their portfolio of services, and increase customer satisfaction.
Partners can incorporate full suite of cloud-based and on-premises solutions and manage them on behalf of their customers. Many of Nozomi Networks MSSP partners own Vantage licenses to provide private label services through Vantage’s multi-tenant and MSSP-oriented licensing capabilities.
[EC] What is the value add provided by the MSSP channel partners?
[Chet Namboodri] Whether they have Nozomi installed previously, we are enabling the managed service provider to do the deployment. We can do that in a number of different ways. It can be through a resell mechanism, or it can actually be where the MSSP is.
MSSP are holding the licenses, holding the assets and providing services surrounding those assets which they can deploy within the customer’s environment. Platform threat and asset management capabilities are made available through both Elite and Focus MSSP partners. Assessment, threat intelligence, design, deploy configuration, incident response, this is something that is under development.
Many large enterprises have some OT cyber expertise within their house, but most medium and small operating companies do not
[EC] What is the importance of cyber security forensics and remediation in OT and IoT?
[Chet Namboodri] With what has been going on within Europe, there has been a heightened number of incidents and nation-state-sponsored attacks that we saw going back to Colonial Pipeline here in the US. There are a number of different attack vectors that are coming from nation-states, as well as malware that has found its way into the OT side of things. In terms of forensic analysis and doing incident response, that is certainly a capability that is important for OT. We have partnered with Mandiant and done some work together in the past.
The first level of value that our end users get from a Nozomi deployment, whether it is through an MSSP or otherwise, is visibility and lighting up of the assets. What do I have in my OT environment? What are the vulnerabilities that are associated with those assets? What is their current state, and then we go from there with behaviour analytics that identify anomalies, and threat identification.
[EC] Describe the pricing model for MSSP partner programme?
[Chet Namboodri] We have a price list and that is where we make reference to discounting. That is a price that we go out with. With MSSPs it is a bit more standardised, because you are less involved with project work, and more involved with ongoing monitoring, managed services. As more and more customers are brought into the MSSP fold, there are significant price breaks as you move into higher and higher level of assets.
For our SaaS offering Vantage, the way we have structured the price is based on assets that are identified and managed as part of our offerings. It is asset count, and particularly for a private label, and again. We make the private label offering where the MSSP partner is holding the license, and we make that available to both Elite and Focus alike.
[EC] How are MSSP partners coexisting with IT side of operations?
[Chet Namboodri] One of the things that Nozomi Networks does is to help bring together the SOC analytics and visibility that is happening on the enterprise IT side of things, and to correlate and recognise the convergence. Nozomi Networks recognises there is a lot of malwares that goes East-West, and finds its way into OT environment, that originates from IT. Having those correlations is important and where we can enable that from the SOC visibility is a big part of what we do.
Chet Namboodri talks to Enterprise Channels MEA on the skills, services, capabilities, pricing models of its MSSP Elite and Focus partners.
