• Home
  • MSP
  • Solution Provider
  • Distributor
  • Vendor
  • Interview
  •  
    Rankings
    • France
    • DACH
    • Nordics
    • Benelux
    • Southern Europe
    • CEE
  • Market Intelligence
  • Events
  • Resources
  • Newsletters
  • Sign in
  • Events
    • Upcoming events
      event logo
      CPI MSP Conference New York

      As the MSP market is maturing & competition is increasing, it’s critical to stand out. But what is it that makes a world class managed service provider? Join us at our MSP Conference as we shed light on the future of the U.S. managed services industry.

      • Date: 06 Jun 2019
      • Venue to be announced shortly! , New York
      event logo
      Channel Partner Insight MSP Innovation Awards New York

      The MSP Innovation Awards New York are designed to ensure that MSPs and VARs across North America are recognized for their excellence.

      • Date: 06 Jun 2019
      • Venue to be announced shortly..., New York
      event logo
      Channel Partner Insight - European MSP Innovation Awards

      Designed to ensure that MSPs and VARs across Europe are recognized for their excellence.

      • Date: 12 Jun 2019
      • Venue to be announced shortly... , London
      View all events
      Follow our events

      Sign up to receive email alerts about our events

      Sign up
  • Resources
    • Latest whitepapers
      Is the channel on track for a successful transition?

      In this exclusive research report we take a look at how vendors, distributors and VARs are adapting to the new world. We explore the new set of skills, processes and tools they will need in order to execute in a way that is not only efficient but also profitable for the long term.

      Download
      It's all about relationships: Three ways to report your way to better business relationships

      Running a successful managed services business is all about managing relationships. You need to constantly ensure you are meeting your customers' needs or they will take their IT business elsewhere. Read on to find out how.

      Download
  • Sign in
  •  
      • Account details
      • Contact support
      • Sign out
     
  • Follow us
    • RSS
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    • Newsletters
    • Facebook
  • Register
ChannelPartnerInsight
ChannelPartnerInsight
  • Home
  • MSP
  • Solution Provider
  • Distributor
  • Vendor
  • Interview
  • Rankings
  • Market Intelligence
 
    • Account details
    • Contact support
    • Sign out
 
ChannelPartnerInsight
  • Distribution

'Too many people are sitting on their backsides being comfortable - there are big changes happening' - Ian Kilpatrick

Cybersecurity veteran Ian Kilpatrick spoke to CPI ahead of him taking on a new role as strategic advisor for VAD powerhouse Nuvias. He shared his view on what two key trends those in the cybersecurity market should be aware of this year

  • Nima Green
  • Nima Green
  • 08 February 2019
  • Tweet  
  • Facebook  
  • LinkedIn  
  • Google plus  
  • Send to  
0 Comments

The change in cybersecurity procurement and the impending "shockwave" of GDPR fines are two development that will have a significant influence on the cybersecurity market, according to Nuvias' former EVP cybersecurity Ian Kilpatrick.

It comes as Kilpatrick is taking on a more consultative role as Strategic Advisor cybersecurity for the pan-EMEA VAD.

"It's the growth of Nuvias that has precipitated this change," he said.

"We're growing at a fast pace. I need to be given a role that gives me more time to do consulting around the skills I've picked up over my history."

That history includes almost 40 years of experience in the cybersecurity market, as chairman of Wick Hill - one of the UK and Germany's best-known specialist security VAD - before its 2016 acquisition by Nuvias, when he took on the position of EVP cybersecurity.

"The truth is, I've been shockingly lucky. I've grown across different market sectors to £100m plus [with Wick Hill], and now with Nuvias, it's way, way bigger than that…And along the way I've had the pleasure of working with extraordinary people."

I asked him what his tips are for maintaining longevity in such a saturated market.

"You need to have shockingly high focus to be successful", he said.

"And to really understand the way that the market is moving."

GDPR - it's only a matter of time

"Look at GDPR. It's going to rear its head," he added.

"The fact is, many people are sitting on their backsides being comfortable and complacent… At several points in the next 12 months, there will be more breaches; that's guaranteed."

My interview with Kilpatrick was just five days before the first case of the EU's new GDPR privacy legislation being used to hit Google with a mammoth $56.8m (€49.9m) fine for not prominently displaying required data or obtaining adequate consent for ad targeting.

As Google has challenged the fine, it's not clear how much money, if any, the vendor giant will lose.

However, as far as Kilpatrick is concerned, if the EU is able to censure firm's with the maximum fine GDPR legislation allows for, the consequences could be "business takeover threatening".

"If you look at the standard measure, most organisations are making an EBIT of around four to six per cent, as a generalisation. So, if you get fined four per cent, that's your profits gone…

"This will be a shockwave that will go through the industry.

Boards get technical

If GDPR is a danger that is looming in the short term, a development in the industry that is altering how organisations buy solutions right now is the changing dynamic of decision makers.

"There's a lot of things that are moving negatively, but the biggest single thing that is moving positively in cybersecurity is the recognition by more boards that cybersecurity is a crucial business risk that they need to be aware of… and that is changing the deployment of cybersecurity.

"Boards are less willing to just listen to technical responses to questions; they actually want to know why and how they're secure. It's a really big change," he said.

"This has only happened in the last three to five years, so some of the benefits of that are only just starting to drift in now."

Worldwide spending on information security products and services are forecast to soar past $124bn in 2019 according to Gartner; an increase of 8.7 per cent from last year.

So what trends should channel players be aware of in order to maximise their slice of the revenues?

Multi-cloud vulnerabilities

For Kilpatrick the key challenge forging the cybersecurity market right now is the accelerating embrace of hybrid cloud.

"Just look at access and identity management. For most people, this is a mess," he said.

"I like to ask lots of people this question: if you've moved up through an organisation, and gone through multiple departments, in multiple locations, do you still have access to some of the applications you were given rights to three or four years ago?

"And if the answer is yes, then what happens when you leave the business? To make this worse, these orphan rights can sometimes exist in shadow IT that their departments set up and the main business isn't even aware of."

He added: "What most people tend to do when there's a lot of noise, is they turn down the filter.

"What you need to do is have solutions that will help you deal with information overload.

"So, I see that there's a definite shift towards solutions that can provide better reporting as to people's threat preparedness, in a way that is understandable at a management level."

  • Tweet  
  • Facebook  
  • LinkedIn  
  • Google plus  
  • Send to  
  • Topics
  • Distribution
  • Security
  • Nuvias
  • Wick Hill
  • distribution
  • security

More news

In the IT channel, what's partner loyalty made of?

Some say performance, others say money but it may be systems and processes that carry the day

  • Distribution
Four things we learned from HPE's results

We delve into HPE's figures so you don't have to

  • Vendor
  • 22 February 2019
pc
PC market surges led by bright spots in UK, Denmark and Sweden

Enterprise outshone consumer PC sales across most Western Europe in 2019, as sales continue to rally

  • Research
  • 22 February 2019
HP expands DaaS Europe offering to include Apple

Vendor's device-as-a-service offering in Europe will now include Apple, in addition to Android OS

  • Vendor
  • 22 February 2019
Back to Top

Most read

Patrick Zammit Tech Data
One-on-one with Tech Data's European boss - Zammit evaluates success of $2.6bn Avnet TS merger six months after completing integration
Huawei to shift focus to the UK after bans in the US
AllCloud CEO on M&A plans in North America, market saturation and the need for MSPs to diversify
Infinigate CEO Klaus Schlichtherle
Infinigate CEO on breaking €500m revenues, Brexit strategy and gunning for 40 per cent growth in UK and France
Kaspsersky's top line grows in face of 'geopolitical situation' in the US
  • Contact Us
  • Marketing solutions
  • About Incisive Media
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy and Cookie policy
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Newsletters
  • Facebook

© Incisive Business Media (IP) Limited, Published by Incisive Business Media Limited, New London House, 172 Drury Lane, London WC2B 5QR, registered in England and Wales with company registration numbers 09177174 & 09178013

Digital publisher of the year
Digital publisher of the year 2010, 2013, 2016 & 2017