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Wib continues channel momentum with Kite signing
Security player lands first UK&I distribution partner as it looks to increase its channel reach
Wib has signed its first UK and Ireland distributor as it looks to expand its channel base and get its application programming interface (API) security platform offering in front of more partners.
The API security specialist outlined ambitions late last year to build up its channel presence and develop a network of partners, signing specialist resellers as it looks to build momentum in the UK and elsewhere in EMEA.
The firm sealed a $16m investment in November 2022, led by Koch Disruptive Technologies (KDT), and made clear it would be using the funds to expand the business and recruit channel partners.
Building on that messaging, the firm has now signed Kite Distribution with a brief to help Wib extend its market reach.
“API security is one of the biggest challenges facing digitally driven organisations today. We are seeing growing market maturity and awareness around this challenge in the UK, which has led to high demand and market traction for our unique platform approach,” said Wib’s recently appointed vice-president of global partnerships and alliances, Keren Michaeli.
“We needed a specialist partner to help scale our channel presence and capitalise on this demand, and Kite ticked those boxes. Kite’s strong ecosystem of partners focused on key markets such as e-commerce, finance, retail, telecoms and automotive, coupled with its ability to take disruptive technologies to market, made it the right fit for us. We look forward to working together to drive value and opportunity for channel partners,” she added.
Stuart Nairne-Clark, business development director at Kite, said it had experience in bringing emerging security technologies to market.
“As a value-added distributor specialising in disruptive technologies, it is imperative that we remain at the forefront of innovation for our channel partner ecosystem. Our vendor strategy and selection is critical to this. As the market for API security matures, we see a massive opportunity for channel partners, and as such needed a vendor partner that we could build a proposition around,” he said.
“However, from a technology perspective, it was crucial for us to distinguish the genuine opportunity from the hype, and it was clear that Wib had the most comprehensive and advanced API security solution on the market,” he added.
Wib has been building its channel presence across Europe, and last December signed SecureIT to cover the Nordics and made it clear at the time it would be forming similar partnerships across the UK.
The firm believes there is a strong channel opportunity around API security, quoting Gartner’s Hype Cycle for API Security Report, that indicated that 98% of organisations use, or are planning to use, internal APIs; 94% use, or are planning to use, third-party public APIs; 90% use, or are planning to use, private APIs provided by partners; and 80% provide, or are planning to provide, publicly exposed APIs.
