Ignition Technology lands Mastercard relationship

The Mastercard name will be familiar to many in the channel associated with payments, but the firm is looking to build a channel presence in the security market.

The business has been expanding its security capabilities beyond just protecting traditional card payments, through acquisitions and internal development, and has reached out to work with Exclusive Networks and the distributor’s Ignition Technology operation, which specialises in software as a service (SaaS).

The role of the distributor will be to help Mastercard with its go-to-market strategy and channel partner enablement as the finance specialist looks for growth. Ignition will handle the vendor in the UK, France, DACH, the Nordics and the Middle East, with other parts of EMEA handled by Exclusive.

Mastercard has responded to changes in the way customers pay for goods and has added more technologies, particularly cloud-based, to make sure it can provide users globally with protection that will identify risks and defend against attackers that are trying to access funds.

Appointing a distributor and looking to build a channel is the next part of a journey that Mastercard has been on as it expands security protection for its customer ecosystems. The firm has a track record in being able to provide security assessment and risk rating capabilities through its RiskRecon technology, but it has added to that with the recent acquisition of cloud-based security player Baffin Bay Networks.

Denis Ferrand-Ajchenbaum, senior vice-president of global business development and ecosystems at Exclusive Networks, said the tie-up would provide its channel partners with a strong proposition to take out to customers.

“Mastercard is a globally trusted brand, having built one of the world’s leading global payments networks powering today’s connected digital economy. Trust is at the core of Mastercard’s cyber security mission, and at Exclusive Networks we share the same vision,” he said.

“We see a tremendous commercial opportunity for our ecosystem partners around Mastercard’s evolving cyber security portfolio. Not only is it leading in its class, but it is also highly complementary, with deep integrations with a number of our existing core vendors, enabling partners to drive incremental and tangential revenue opportunities,” he added.

Sean Remnant, chief strategy officer at Ignition Technology, suggested it would be a good brand for UK resellers to add to the portfolio. “We are delighted to be partnering with Mastercard to scale out its channel presence across EMEA and can’t wait to bring the power of the Mastercard brand to our partner ecosystem,” he said.

“Its risk assessment and cloud-based threat protection services are valuable additions to our portfolio, enabling our partners to address the escalating cyber security challenges of their customers by reducing cyber risk and increasing cyber resilience,” he added.

Mastercard said it wanted to work with partners that could help it build a different route to market.

“Their proven track record, deep market insights and commitment to excellence perfectly align with our business and customers,” said Johan Gerber, executive vice-president of cyber and security products at Mastercard. “Together, we will revolutionise the cyber security landscape, providing customers with innovative solutions and unparalleled service.”