60 Seconds 01732 759725 32 What do you see as key recent developments at Brigantia? I truly believe what we’re doing is unique. We bring specialist, often new-to-themarket technology vendors to the UK & Ireland to solve genuine cybersecurity problems. Our product specialists and account management teams support vendors and sell into an established, rapidly growing channel of partners. Since selling our telecoms business in March, the board of Brigantia Partners authorised the investment of the sales proceeds to accelerate scaling our core cybersecurity software distribution business. Two new vendors recently joined our portfolio, ITagree and Octiga, further strengthening our offering. ITagree provide customer agreements and the support needed to run a reseller or MSP business, while Octiga are all about maintaining a security posture and unlocking the capabilities of Office 365. The initial uptake of both vendors’ services has been the fastest we have ever seen. What are your business highlights of the last 12 months? In January, we moved our sales, finance and support office to a modern 5,500 square foot space in Thirsk. The space can accommodate our planned future growth, with the option of a further 3,500 square feet if required. The new office is proving to be a great hub for our team to develop and is ideal for hosting our vendors and assisting our reseller and MSP partners. It was fantastic to have all our efforts recognised by our reseller and MSP partners in 2022, winning four channel awards. Winning the awards is a testament to the hard work of the entire Brigantia team. Why should MSPs use Brigantia above other distributors? Brigantia has a reputation for focusing on quality over quantity. We’ve implemented a vigorous vendor selection process to assure quality and commercial viability, while also making sure that our smaller, focused portfolio offers a comprehensive range to resellers and MSPs. The reduced number ensures our team’s expertise is maintained across the entire range and gives vendors peace of mind that we’re not partnering with their competitors. Another attraction is our insistence that the Brigantia sales team has technical knowledge and all product specialists have some sales responsibilities. This helps drive sales and resolve technical queries usually at first contact. Our product specialists offer a direct link to our vendors, providing unprecedented levels of collaboration and helping resolve issues rapidly. What should IT managers do differently given the forecast economic downturn? Consolidate. There’s a very strong cybersecurity argument for using fewer tools and reducing the number of endpoint agents on users’ machines. There are so many opportunities to consolidate and it’s not a difficult exercise, but it is something that people tend to put off. When it’s done right it can lead to significantly reduced costs, and if it’s done strategically it can actually enhance an organisation’s cybersecurity posture. What impact do you think AI will have on MSPs’ daily operations? I think it’s still too early to say. There is so much conversation around AI right now that it’s difficult to know how it might affect MSPs in the future. One thing we do know is that AI is already being used in many next generation cybersecurity solutions, helping to keep businesses safe. An excellent example of AI being deployed in the real world is Heimdal and I would recommend anyone who doesn’t already know the company to check out their revolutionary, unified AI cybersecurity solution. What, for you, are two key trends to watch this year? Password managers will become standard practice, instead of just nice to have, and unification will happen at speed. We’re seeing huge demand for vendors of ours that are pushing the unification message, particularly Heimdal. They have a broad portfolio of cybersecurity modules that can stand alone, but which when used together communicate and learn from one another – it really is ground-breaking technology. We are seeing significant growth of unification, particularly in our rapidly growing MSP channel. What currently is having the greatest impact on your business? As a rapidly growing business we are constantly looking to hire people who will fit in well with our culture and the way we do things. Investing in the development of our team of product specialists is having a significant impact, and making sure they have the skills and knowledge to work closely with designated vendors, our sales team and the ever growing number of channel partners we have in our community is paying dividends for our vendors, for our partners and, as a result, for us as well. Where do you see the next big opportunity for MSPs? Recently, we signed a fresh-to-market vendor from Ireland called Octiga, which to put it simply, I see as a game changer for our channel partners. Octiga can transform how channel partners assist their Office 365-dependent clients. It allows them Brigantia is a specialist cybersecurity distributor, established through a management buyout from Claranet in 2016. Headquartered in Thirsk, Yorkshire, it provides channel partners across the UK & Ireland with a range of cybersecurity solutions and services that enable them to protect their customers and profit from stable, recurring revenue. Here, Sales Director Angus Shaw highlights recent developments at the company. www.brigantia.com Angus Shaw, Sales Director, Brigantia 60 seconds with... Angus Shaw
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