Untangle Finds Channel Partners Saw 70% Increase in Inquiries Following Major Cyberattacks

Growing Zero Trust Offerings a Priority for Channel Partners in 2022

Untangle Inc., a leader in comprehensive network security for small-to-medium businesses (SMBs) and distributed enterprises, announced the results for its annual Voice of the Channel and Predictions Report. The report surveyed Untangle’s global network of more than 1,500 Channel Partners to learn about challenges faced over the last year, customer threats, current service portfolios, and the trends that will shape strategic business decisions for their organizations moving forward.

Rise of Zero Trust

Supply chain attacks dominated the news headlines in 2021. This is likely why 70% of Channel Partner respondents stated they saw an increase in customer inquiries following major cyberattacks, with the most commonly requested security features by clients being Endpoint security (49%), followed by VPN connectivity (28.8%). However, as the industry looks toward 2022, Partners most considered growing their Zero Trust (33%) and web application firewall (31%) product offerings as priority. Notably, Zero Trust didn’t even make the list of features to consider in 2020.

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Cloud Deployments

Over the last four years, the trend of Channel Partners moving their IT stack to the cloud continues, with 25% saying they have 75% or more of their stack deployed in the cloud. However, the number of Partners who believe moving data and network traffic to the cloud offers better security is down 11% (36.5% in 2021 compared to 47.6% in 2020). This could be an indicator that trust in the cloud for SMBs has diminished, perhaps due to the extensive number of cyberattacks on cloud-based infrastructures over the last year. Nonetheless, 83% expect that the cybersecurity side of their business will increase.

Additional report highlights include:

• The top products Partners currently offer their clients are: Firewall/network security (89%), endpoint security (86%), email security (75%). Notably, only 23% currently offer Zero Trust technologies.
• Channel Partners have adapted to both remote working and hybrid scenarios, with a reported 49% stating that 50% or more of their clients would continue to work completely remotely.
• Top cybersecurity concerns for Channel Partners in 2022 in order of importance: (1) phishing, (2) employees who do not follow rules, and (3) ransomware.

“In a year that saw an increase in organizations transitioning – and staying – with a remote workforce, cyberattacks have likewise increased. Many made headlines for weeks at a time. The growing number of cyberattacks and security risks this past year have Partners investigating newer security approaches more intently,” said Heather Paunet, SVP of Products at Untangle. “As Partners look to overcome the challenges that arise in supporting globally dispersed networks and end users, they will likely need to adopt new solutions, like Zero Trust, into their portfolios to meet these needs. By combining Zero Trust with newer VPN technologies, Partners can better help protect their clients’ business, critical data and remote workers.”

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