Proofpoint Doubles Down On Partner Services, AI, Data Security

The email and data security vendor has unveiled an array of updates that are geared toward increasing opportunities for channel partners, according to Proofpoint Channel Chief Joe Sykora.

Proofpoint is rolling out an array of updates across partner services, data protection and AI security capabilities that are geared toward increasing opportunities for the channel, according to Proofpoint Channel Chief Joe Sykora.

The updates came during Proofpoint’s Protect conference last week in New York and aim to underscore the company’s expansion well beyond its roots as an email security vendor, Sykora told CRN.

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Among the channel-focused announcements at the event was the debut of the company’s certified delivery partner program, which is launching with cybersecurity powerhouse Optiv as the initial partner.

The program “allows our partners to actually install, deploy and do services around our main product,” said Sykora, who is senior vice president for worldwide channels and partner sales at Proofpoint. “So that’s a big step in the right direction.”

For Denver-based Optiv, No. 25 on CRN’s Solution Provider 500 for 2024, “it immediately expands our ability to support our clients on their cyber journey,” said Jim Lepine, senior vice president of advisory, consulting and transformation at Optiv.

“Bringing in this human-centric component, and data-centric component, is really a connectivity point that we haven’t seen so far [that is] as well thought out as this,” Lepine said. “It brings in a whole set of new services for us.”

Other major updates included enabling partners and customers to do enhanced correlation across a security event using Proofpoint as the single centralized platform, Sykora said.

Meanwhile, in terms of AI, Proofpoint unveiled what it’s calling “intent-aware” protection of GenAI usage as well as redaction of risky GenAI prompts, the company said.

Such capabilities should prove to be a massive help with it comes to assisting customers with their data security needs through Proofpoint products such as data loss prevention (DLP), according to Lepine.

“Proofpoint has always been a leader in the email security space. But they’re bringing in that DLP aspect at a time where blocking and tackling for our clients continues to be of critical importance,” he said. “So being able to integrate those two pieces—along with the Zen platform around security awareness—is just tremendously powerful.”

In addition, Proofpoint unveiled the integration of its offering with CyberArk’s secure browser, bringing in Proofpoint’s browser extension to the CyberArk browser.

“That brings the human and data component into this idea of privileged access management and identity management,” Lepine said.

During Protect itself, Proofpoint debuted a partner-specific track for the first time and saw a significant increase in partner attendance. Additional Protect events are scheduled for this fall in London, Chicago and Austin, Texas.