Exclusive expands relationship with Thales

Exclusive Networks has sealed a global distribution partnership with Thales, expanding on its existing relationship with the vendor.

Under the agreement, Exclusive will support the security vendor through its EMEA, APAC and now its North American operations.

The option to take on Thales in North America follows on from other vendors that have worked with the distributor doing the same, most recently in March with SentinelOne, and will drive more growth in the US business.

Recent numbers for the territory showed North America growing by 53% in full-year 2022 and up 49% in the first half of 2023.

Exclusive has developed a habit of extending geographically with existing vendors as the firm looks to lean on its ability to support and sell globally. Thales is the latest in a growing number that started in one region and then increased the coverage of the relationship.

In recent results for its half year, the distributor shared its net vendor retention rate on a rolling 12-month basis, showing that at the end of the first half of 2023, it was up 131% (compared with 122% in the same period in 2022), with net reseller retention rates for the same period at 130% (compared with 122% a year earlier).

“We are excited about the new global partnership with Thales, taking our relationship to the next level, building on our success across EMEA and APAC, and expanding our established Thales practice into North America,” said Denis Ferrand-Ajchenbaum, senior vice-president of global business development and ecosystems at Exclusive Networks.

“Data security and access management are key pillars in any cyber security strategy, and we see significant growth opportunities for our channel partners around these technology areas. We also see strong synergies within our existing vendor ecosystem to generate cross-selling and upselling opportunities for partners to drive incremental business,” he added.

John Polly, vice-president of global channel and alliances at Thales, said the distributor had shown its worth in EMEA and APAC.

“Exclusive has become a trusted and valued partner to Thales over the years,” he said. “Its specialist focus on cyber security, global reach, value-added services, and a diverse ecosystem of channel partners ranging from regional specialists, managed service providers and global systems integrators makes it somewhat unique in the market.”

Thales hit the headlines last month when it bought Imperva for $3.6bn as it moved to strengthen its security portfolio.

Speaking at the time, Patrice Caine, chairman and CEO of Thales, said it wanted to take a leap forward through the deal and gain a presence in the application security market.

“The acquisition of Imperva marks a major milestone in Thales’ cyber security strategy,” he said. “With this acquisition, we are seizing a unique opportunity to accelerate our cyber security capabilities and are taking an important step towards our ambition to build a world-class global cyber security integrated player, providing a comprehensive portfolio of products and services.”

The deal is expected to close at the start of 2024. Imperva is also a long-standing partner of Exclusive Networks, which adds depth to the relationship the distie is developing with Thales.