“It really starts from the ground up,” says Cynet CRO Alan Komet. “The name ‘Ignite’ is appropriate because it starts with partners on the launching pad and grows with them. It’s not just the biggest partners getting bigger. As they buy in with Cynet, we grow together—it’s symbiotic.”
With the debut of its new Ignite Partner Program, Cynet’s revamp of its partner strategy is designed to accelerate revenue, streamline engagement and make cybersecurity a powerful growth engine for MSPs.
The program includes “growth ignition dollars,” which executives at the Boston-based vendor describe as a modern take on traditional MDF. The new model, according to CRO Alan Komet, removes administrative barriers, simplifies access and ties funding directly to measurable business outcomes.
“It really starts from the ground up,” Komet told CRN. “The name ‘Ignite is appropriate because it starts with partners on the launching pad and grows with them. It’s not just the biggest partners getting bigger. As they buy in with Cynet, we grow together—it’s symbiotic.”
The tiered framework—Silver, Gold and Platinum—is also designed to support all partners at every stage, not just the largest partners.
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“We don’t want one dollar left unspent,” he said. “I want to go back to finance next year and ask for more money to invest with our partners.”
The program also offers a growth accelerator program that provides up-front funding, often around $20,000, and a six-month co-built marketing plan as well as funds for swag or brand-building not tied directly to revenue.
For Jeannine Edwards, Cynet’s senior director of marketing, the focus of the program is on clarity and partner profitability.
“Programs can be really too much, too many things, too complex,” she told CRN. “We wanted to build a program that makes it as easy as possible to give partners a direct path to growth and margin. We don’t make you jump through 900 hoops. If you bring us a good idea, we look at ARR [annual recurring revenue], expected ROI, talk to the partner team and, if it makes sense, we do it.”
A dedicated partner marketing manager will also be available to partners as an extension of their team to help create campaigns, build scripts and “walk partners through what actually works.”
And on measuring program success, Komet says it goes beyond new ARR.
“The easiest metric is increased ARR,” he said. “But we also look at retention. Our mission is to keep SMBs secure. We want to make sure those SMBs are happy customers of our partners.”
In the future, he hopes to expand white-labeling options, co-selling and co-marketing and have more Cynet resources operating directly under partner branding.
“There’s almost endless activities we can do as we grow,” he said. “I want our SDRs [sales development representatives] helping partners fish for new business. I want more of our people in the field wearing the partner’s brand. We are channel-only in our delivery and we need a program partners can plug into easily and transparently.”
Brian Anderson, vice president of technology at Salina, Kan.-based Eagle Technologies, said Cynet’s all-in-one platform, coupled with its “exceptional support and overall value,” has made it the “go to” platform for improving customers’ security posture.
“The recent changes in their partner program, namely growth ignition dollars and our dedicated partner marketing manager, have provided us with the ability to reach out to more prospects and have more wins together,” Anderson told CRN in an email. “I’m excited for our future with Cynet. Their partner-first mentality and their updated partner program should be a model for others to follow.”
