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Exclusive Networks maintaining supplier expansion strategy
Distributor has track record of widening existing relationships to benefit UK resellers and will continue that strategy
Exclusive Networks has been following a strategy of extending relationships with existing vendors into fresh geographies and deeper into the portfolio.
That approach served the distie well last year, with the firm reporting it had been able to retain vendor relationships, and there is no sign of that changing as it moves deeper into 2024.
In its most recent full-year numbers, for 2022, the distributor revealed it had benefitted from retaining strong relationships, with its vendor and customer retention rates both up by more than 100% year-on-year.
An example of that strategy in action came last week, when Exclusive extended a relationship with Ruckus Networks that had been working in the US to cover the UK and Ireland. That extended relationship saw Exclusive move into a position where it could offer the vendor’s complete portfolio, including Ruckus AI and the Cloudpath Enrolment System, to make adding additional hardware to a network easier. The distributor is also going to be providing training and support to get resellers up to speed around the technology.
In another recent example from last November, the distie expanded a relationship with privileged access management player One Identity that had been working across France and Spain to cover the UK as well.
Matthew Paynter, vendor director for UK and Ireland at Exclusive Networks, said it would continue to make similar moves. “We pride ourselves on the quality of the vendors in our portfolio,” he said. “Whether that’s them appearing in the top-right of their respective Gartner quadrants, their passion for enabling the channel and driving Channel Lead business, and of course, the all-important one, that they are easy for our Partners to do business and grow business with.
“We consider our portfolio very carefully and certainly have the most comprehensive cyber security vendor relationships; which bring together a combination of established vendors we’ve introduced to the UK, with over 10-15 years of relationship and investment under our belt, the maturing newcomers and the vendors pioneering the cyber security solutions for the future,” added Paynter. “We also pride ourselves on those relationships being established in EMEA and globally. We take our responsibility very seriously as a cyber security provider who can deliver global strategies in a local marketplace.”
Comprehensive security portfolio
Paynter added that the firm had always seen its mission as providing a comprehensive security portfolio, and it was important to work closely with vendors in that space.
“We echo this with our loyalty to the vendors we have on portfolio, ensuring they receive a high level of value from us,” he said. “We are a business partner to our vendors, we are focused on driving their growth.
“For 2024, we’ll be focused on delivering that growth and value to our vendors and maintaining an industry-leading service approach for the channel to grow together,” said Paynter.
