The vendor is unveiling a revamped partner program as it looks to accelerate growth for its post-quantum cryptography offerings with the channel, according to Channel Chief Louise McEvoy.
Keyfactor announced an expanded channel initiative Wednesday aimed at enabling solution providers to develop service practices around the transition to post-quantum cryptography, as the company looks to accelerate growth in the segment with partners, Channel Chief Louise McEvoy told CRN exclusively.
The announcement includes the debut of a refreshed partner program and signals the vendor’s focus on driving growth through a partner-led sales strategy, according to McEvoy, whose title is senior vice president for global channel sales at Keyfactor.
[Related: Why Quantum Computing Threat Will Impact ‘Absolutely Everyone’ In Security: Experts]
Rather than simply introducing an updated channel program, “we’re modernizing [our strategy] because AI and post-quantum security really do change what our customers need from our partners,” she said in an interview.
Keyfactor’s technology platform includes capabilities for managing machine identities, digital certificates and cryptographic keys.
The massive risks posed by the predicted advent of ultra-powerful quantum computers has also led Keyfactor to put a major focus on enabling post-quantum cryptography, including with the launch of capabilities for cryptographic discovery and inventory management as part of its AgileSec offering.
The IT industry expects that the advancement of quantum computing could render existing data encryption methods obsolete in coming years, requiring a shift to new forms of cryptography that are quantum-ready.
At Keyfactor, “what I really want to get partners to understand is that there are enormous opportunities here in post-quantum,” McEvoy said. “They can build an entirely new services business. So that opportunity is much larger [than partners realize].”
The moves by Keyfactor to double down on partners come following the arrival of McEvoy, a channel veteran who joined the company in August 2025. She had most recently served as a longtime channel sales executive at cybersecurity vendor Trend Micro.
Keyfactor’s revamped Global Partner Program rolls out enhanced training, certifications, digital demo environments and not-for-resale technology benefits for partners, according to McEvoy.
Major partner opportunities that Keyfactor is looking to incentivize include offering post-quantum cryptography assessments, migrations and managed services, she said.
As part of its shift to embrace a partner-focused sales strategy, Keyfactor is also making new investments in channel personnel and putting a stronger focus on working with strategic partners, McEvoy told CRN.
Partner Perspective
Without a doubt, Keyfactor has been making the moves needed to scale up with partners, such as around building out their channel team, according to GuidePoint Security’s Mark Thornberry.
“They’re making the right investments and, frankly, really getting serious about it,” said Thornberry, senior vice president for partnerships at Herndon, Va.-based GuidePoint Security, No. 32 on CRN’s Solution Provider 500 for 2026.
Notably, Keyfactor taps into both the established need around certificate management as well the growing urgency around machine identity and post-quantum security, he said.
And that combination could enable a major ramp in growth with Keyfactor going forward, Thornberry said.
While the partnership is still early, “they have the potential to matter to a number of our regions—which means they will materially matter to our business as they continue to [expand],” he said. “When your TAM [total addressable market] is large and you can take advantage of it right now—and you’re investing in the channel and scaling your sales organization—that’s when things can get going really quickly.”
‘Not Just About Resale’
All in all, Keyfactor’s expanded partner initiative represents a major advancement from the vendor’s prior channel approach, which was mainly based around traditional resale tiers and discounts, according to McEvoy.
While the company is focused on some of the biggest emerging areas of technology today such as machine identities and post-quantum cryptography, “our [channel] program was very much a traditional model,” said McEvoy, senior vice president of global channel sales at Keyfactor. “I knew that we needed to fast-forward and modernize it.”
The overarching goal is to help partners move beyond resale in order to develop new services around cryptographic discovery, crypto-agility, machine identity, PKI (public key infrastructure) modernization and the migration to quantum-resistant cryptography, she said.
Massive opportunities are available to partners for delivering services including assessments, implementation, governance and managed cryptography, McEvoy said.
Ultimately, “it’s not just about resale,” she said. “There are products you can sell. But it’s an entire ecosystem, where [partners] can build on top of this as their own practice.”
