Jessica Kingham is the director, channel & alliances UK&I at Barracuda Networks. With nine years of channel & IT experience she drives strategic plans and programs to foster partner growth and relationships. Her expertise lies in cultivating a strong team culture and partnerships with resellers, hyperscalers, and distributors to maximise market penetration and drive revenue growth.
Number of years in current role:
1.5
Number of years in current company:
8
Number of years involved in indirect/channel sales:
9
Reports to:
Paul Drake, VP UK&I
Number of employees in channel organisation:
Declined to disclose.
What percentage of overall sales come through the channel?
Declined to disclose.
What is your personal channel philosophy?
My philosophy is centred on accountability and building trust through meticulous planning.We hold ourselves accountable, fostering an environment where trust flourishes. Clear planning directs our efforts towards achieving our goals and, with precise execution, we transform these into tangible results.
In line with this approach is our focus on customers' security needs and setting clear goals so that they achieve their security objectives. By aligning our efforts with their requirements, we not only deliver value but also strengthen their trust in us. This customer-centric mindset drives our actions, ensuring that every decision and execution step contributes to their security.
What were your biggest personal channel accomplishments over the past year?
I have played a pivotal role in key initiatives. contributing to the development and delivery of the new Global Partner Success Programme and serving as a media spokesperson. I have significantly enhanced the UK&I Deal Registration & Pipeline contribution, elevating it to account for 38 per cent of the overall EMEA figure.
What were your organisation's biggest channel accomplishments over the past year?
Our partner organisation achieved success in 2023 by expanding channel resources to enhance the overall partner experience. This included growing the channel ecosystem teams with an increased focus on providing advanced technical education and training for our channel partners.
We also hosted our first partner conference in the Americas and established more consistent engagement through our partner advisory board. Another significant accomplishment for our channel team was the refresh and relaunch of our partner programme, which harmonised our partner programme into one that will be the same anywhere in the world and across all our major channel motions: MSP, reseller, and marketplaces.
The new partner programme reduces complexity for partners, supports them more proactively and in alignment with their evolving business models, and addresses evolving customer needs in terms of how they want to buy and use cybersecurity technologies. Barracuda also added resources and new tools to help drive stronger relationships with our alliance partners, particularly hyper-scalers like AWS and Microsoft Azure.
What areas would you like to see your channel partners invest in in 2024?
In 2024, I'd like our partners to improve their ability to sell across the breadth of the security portfolio and provide technical enablement to their customers. This will help them accelerate sales cycles and better meet their customers' security and technology needs.
It will also be crucial for channel partners to invest in customer success and customer lifecycle management to improve customer retention
The channel is shifting to managed services, so channel partners need to continue to expand their managed services portfolio and increase their investments in XDR offerings to help strengthen their security practices.
What are the biggest challenges facing your partners in 2024?
In times of macroeconomic pressure, achieving growth can be challenging. According to Gartner's recent forecast on IT spending, economic and geopolitical uncertainties will reduce spending in companies with fewer than 250 employees.
These uncertainties, along with talent shortages, the constantly evolving threat landscape, and increasing ransomware attacks, will pose significant challenges for channel partners in 2024. The moving target of cyber insurance will be another challenge in the year ahead as policies become more expensive and more difficult to get. It's crucial to enable partners with playbooks that help them design, build, and deploy successful outcomes for our mutual customers.
In what ways do you use your role to build equity and inclusion?
As Channel Chief, I leverage my position to actively promote equity and inclusion within the organisation and the wider industry. One significant initiative I am spearheading is the launch of an EMEA-wide Women in Business event, aimed at empowering and guiding women in the IT field.
This event will provide a platform for networking, mentorship and skill development, fostering a supportive environment for women to thrive in their careers and learn about new potential roles. I prioritize diversity in partner recruitment and engagement, ensuring that our channel ecosystem reflects the rich tapestry of perspectives and experiences in our global community.
Describe how your use of market development funds (MDF) is changing this year?
Enhanced focus: Our 2024 MDF programme prioritises expanding partner sourcing for enterprise and corporate clients.
Strategic partner inclusion: We've integrated strategic partners into our MDF programme, with dedicated marketing managers for tailored initiatives.
Deepening account engagement: This year, our MDF strategy empowers partners to further engage existing accounts, fostering marketing expansion for joint enterprise and corporate clients.
What are your biggest channel priorities in 2024?
In 2024, we're looking to add more qualified partners, launch a new or revamp an existing channel programme and increase the amount of net new accounts coming through partners.