Former Dell, Microsoft Executive to Lead Arctic Wolf Channel Strategy
Bob Skelley will be responsible for expanding MDR company’s partner efforts internationally
Arctic Wolf, a cybersecurity vendor that’s seen its subscription revenue double since embracing an all-channel business model last year, is looking to expand its partner reach globally with the appointment of Bob Skelley as its top channel executive.
The Lowdown: Skelley’s hiring as Arctic Wolf’s senior vice president of global channels comes during a time of change for the 8-year-old company, which last month announced it had raised $200 million and moved it headquarters from Sunnyvale, California, to Eden Prairie, Minnesota.
The Details: In his new role, Skelley will be responsible for developing Arctic Wolf’s international partner system and distribution strategy. Will Briggs, the company’s vice president of Americas channel and programs, will continue to oversee Arctic Wolf’s partner efforts in the region and will work with Skelley on the international push.
The company offers security operations and managed detection and response (MDR) services for protecting both on-premises and cloud environments. Its cloud-native Arctic World Platform for security analytics is designed to simplify security operations and its Arctic Wolf Concierge Security offering provides security operations center (SOC) capabilities, including continuous monitoring of security events, security expertise, and tailored security recommendations.
The Impact: Arctic Wolf’s shift to a channel-driven business model has been a boon for the company, which has seen not only a jump in subscription revenue but also a doubling of the number of enterprise customers and 282% growth in the number of channel partners.
The vendor also is in a market that’s seeing growing demand, particularly with the COVID-19 pandemic and the need to secure a highly distributed workforce while facing a widening skills gap. Turning to managed services is one way to address such needs. Arctic Wolf has seen a 270% jump in the number of security events it processes, which now is nearing 1 trillion a week.
A report from ResearchandMarkets is predicting that the global MDR market will grow to more than $1.9 billion by 2024, up from $893.8 million last year.
Background: Skelley comes with more than three decades of channel and sales experience. Before the move to Arctic Wolf, he was CEO of The Channel Company. He also has held channel executive positions with Dell, EqualLogic (bought by Dell in 2008), Infinio Systems (bought by Think3 last year), and Microsoft. Arctic Wolf has raised $348 million since it launched in 2012.
The Buzz: “Year after year, the channel has sold new security tools that promise to help keep organizations secure, but the number of security incidents experienced by their customers continues to grow,” Skelley said. “Arctic Wolf’s vendor-neutral platform and Concierge Security Team are the keys to helping organizations be more effective in their security operations, and I am excited about the opportunity to introduce Arctic Wolf’s vision to a new set of channel partners around the world.”
“Our company and our channel program have been experiencing tremendous growth over the past year. As we begin to plan our market entry overseas, Bob’s unmatched knowledge of the global IT channel ecosystem makes him the perfect fit to lead Arctic Wolf’s international expansion,” Briggs said. “We truly believe we have the best channel team and program in the business, and I look forward to working alongside our domestic and international partners to help end cyber-risk.”
Related Links: CHANNELNOMICS:
>Arctic Wolf Raises $200 Million, Moves Headquarters
>Arctic Wolf Goes All-In on Channel
