How the channel can capitalise on compliance

Advice 2010-09-06 11:49

Vigil Software's Murray Pearce says compliance presents an opportunity for security resllers to become strategic

When the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) announced its plans to introduce a fine of £500k for serious data breaches it sparked a considerable debate on the legal obligations of organisations when it comes to handling data.

Clearly, compliance provides an opportunity for the channel to develop their relationship with customers from that of sales and deployment, to a trusted advisor supporting clients in a consultative capacity. This is where the specialist knowledge that distributors such as ourselves – which can provide access to a specialist pool of technical resources and knowledge – can help to deliver exactly what their customers need to meet these regulatory requirements.
Education
Establishing a programme of education through seminars and roadshows, with support from vendors, is vital and we have also introduced initiatives such as a compliance audit, in which our own consultants work in conjunction with our channel partners to assist in a consultation with customers to help them meet compliance standards.

Resellers should also tap into the specialist knowledge of independent assessors to provide the advice and tools which customers require to become compliant. For example, with the PCI DSS deadline approaching, resellers should think about working with Qualified Security Assessors (QSAs) – through a training and certification process with the PCI Security Standards Council. They can then more formally assess the customer's environment for PCI compliance.
Specialist skills
This role of a more ‘specialist’ advisor is an approach which appears to be a favoured strategy moving forward for many resellers. 48 percent of resellers surveyed now believe that building more specialist and ‘niche’ skills would position them more favourably for the year ahead. Certainly looking beyond tactical solutions and becoming a ‘strategic’ advisor can help to add value to your customer and differentiate you from the competition.

As compliance measures increase in both scope and complexity, customers will no doubt place a premium on those services and skills which will not only guide them through the maze of compliance, but also to help them to meet business objectives by improving the efficiency of their processes and ensure they are in good shape for whatever the future holds. Viewed in this way, they present a positive opportunity for the channel to forge on-going relationships as strategic advisors to their customers, with specialist skills and solutions that meet the exact security challenges they face.