Ivanti preps for global partner program launch under new channel lead

Erik Randles (Ivanti)

IT management software and security solutions vendor Ivanti is gearing up to launch a fresh global partner program under its new global channels and alliances senior vice president Erik Randles.

Randles joined Ivanti earlier this year, coming over from VMware’s CloudHealth business, which it acquired in 2018, where he held the role of vice president of global business development and alliance sales. Randles has also held executive roles for the likes of HPE SimpliVity, Violin Systems and Symantec.

In his role heading up the rapidly expanding vendor’s channel business, Randles has been tasked with focusing on growing Ivanti’s relationships with partners and developing a global integrated partner ecosystem in support of Ivanti’s hyper-growth strategy.  

In September last year, Ivanti made a big play in the security space, snapping up cyber security vendors MobileIron and Pulse Secure in an effort to bolster its presence in the unified endpoint management, zero trust security and enterprise service management markets. The company forked out US$872 million for MobileIron alone.  

More recently, in January this year, Ivanti struck a deal to acquire IT service management provider Cherwell Software, a move to expand the reach of the vendor’s Neurons hyper-automation platform.

Now, with MobileIron, Pulse Secure and Cherwell Software under its belt, Ivanti and its new channel boss plan to launch its global partner program later this year.

As yet, there is scant detail about the upcoming program that will be launched, but it is likely to roll up elements of the partner programs of each of its most recent acquisitions.

“We're committed to developing an exciting growth-oriented program for our partners as we jointly serve the market,” Ivanti president Jeff Abbott said. “The end goal of our partner program is to drive simplicity, predictability, and profitability as we deliver business value via software and services to our customers.

“The Ivanti team is honoured to have Erik join our pursuit of building a larger and more capable partner ecosystem. I'm confident that Erik’s extensive experience will enhance all that we do with our existing and future network,” he added.

In the local market, MobileIron’s Australia and New Zealand channel manager Rose Old has remained in the fold following the company’s acquisition by Ivanti, holding the role of channel director for Ivanti across the A/NZ region. 

Old, who stepped into the new role earlier this year, was MobileIron’s A/NZ channel manager for the better part of four years. She came to MobileIron after three years with Acronis as the backup and disaster recovery solutions vendor’s A/NZ channel business manager. She has also done time with Veeam and Ingram Micro. 

In her new role, Old is responsible for consolidating Ivanti’s multiple channel programs in A/NZ following several acquisitions in recent years. She will also be re-aligning with partners on the go-to-market strategy and how they can benefit most from Ivanti’s growing portfolio. 

“These are exciting times as Ivanti doubles down on the channel in A/NZ.” said Old. “I look forward to working hand-in-hand with our partners to tackle the emerging needs of the market and delight our customers. 

For Ivanti A/NZ area vice president Matthew Lowe, the channel plays a key part in the vendor’s go-to-market and plays a big role in the success of Ivanti’s A/NZ business.  

“Our partners provide scale and cover in markets we otherwise couldn’t reach. To continue expanding our footprint while nurturing our existing ecosystem, it was essential that we brought in an experienced and dedicated channel head,” Lowe said.