Motivation for enhancing and launching partner programmes can be varied, such as looking to drive growth around specific technologies and services, and increasing support to ensure partners can improve profitability.
As well as those ambitions, programmes are often developed in response to feedback from partners keen to improve systems and support.
That is certainly the ambition for Rapid7’s recently introduced PACT programme, which has been masterminded by a team including Kelly Hiscoe, the cyber security player’s director of global partner programmes.
“Our partner community is very diverse, and our previous programme wasn’t addressing the diverse ecosystem of partners we now work with,” she said.
“We work with distributors, systems integrators and resellers, which purchase through distributors, MSSPs [managed security service providers] and service delivery. This is what our community of partners represents now. One of the things we wanted to do with the expanded programme is have that community of partners operating under a single programme,” she added.
Hiscoe said its previous relationships with the channel had been unstructured and informal, but it recognised that it needed to introduce a programme that made it consistent and predictable.
“By bringing these partners into PACT, it’s more formal, more predictable and more consistent. It allows these different types of partners to understand how we engage, the benefits of the programme and what they can expect from us, and then also have this very easy way of understanding how they grow their partnership with Rapid7 and what that yields in terms of benefits, engagement, etc,” she said.
Hiscoe added that it had made sure it had an open dialogue with partners to ensure it could shape a programme that hit the mark.
“The 2025 programme is truly a direct result of collaborating with our partner communities, listening to their needs and addressing their business challenges. I have spoken to many different types of partners, in all regions, in the lead-up to this launch, making sure we were listening and getting that feedback,” she said.
“We’re going to continue to listen, to ask questions, to look at the trends we’re seeing in the market and continue to evolve. That will not stop,” she added.
PACT offers a new partner portal, more tailored engagement proportions and a fresh training academy.
The PACT programme doesn’t just represent the tiers and benefits. It’s the entire experience and how we work and collaborate with partners
Kelly Hiscoe, Rapid7
“What we’re seeing now is the channel being embedded in so many of the design processes at Rapid7. This launch signifies a lot of work and investment that has been made over the past 12 to 24 months,” said Hiscoe.
“The programme doesn’t just represent the tiers and benefits. It’s the entire experience and how we work and collaborate with partners,” she added.
PACT also introduces a couple of MSSP certifications, with more planned in the future.
“One of the trends we’re seeing in the market, and certainly what we’ve heard and read from industry analysts, is that partners are looking for opportunities to attach services to vendors that they are re-signing. And that was no different for the partners in our channel ecosystem. So, this idea of attaching services through specialisations was very important to us to put into this,” she said.
Hiscoe said the introduction of PACT was the foundation for an expected year of growth in its channel.
“We feel very positive and confident about the changes we have put in place for this programme,” she said.
“This is not a one and done for us. This was an important moment in terms of a programme relaunch, but we don’t want to take our foot off the gas now. We want to continue to lean in and listen to our partners,” she added.
