Previously, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Sophie Sayer, our Channel Sales Director, to talk about the IT Governance partner programme and partner event on 9 April 2024.
Now that the drinks have been served and awards handed out, I caught up with her again. When I asked her how the event went, she said:
The Channel Partner Event and Awards 2024 in Ely was an absolute triumph!
The atmosphere was charged with excitement and camaraderie as partners and MSPs gathered under one roof to celebrate excellence in the industry.
It was truly heartening to witness the community come together to recognise and honour outstanding achievements. The event was not only a testament to the hard work and dedication of individuals and organisations but also served as a powerful reminder of the strength and vitality of the channel ecosystem.
Here’s to many more memorable gatherings where we can continue to applaud the remarkable contributions of our peers and colleagues!
We’re delighted to hear it went so well, Sophie!
And here are some photos to remember the occasion:
Welcome
Welcome drinks and nibbles to start the event
Opening remarks by Sophie Sayer, channel sales director, and Jason Douglas, global head of channel sales
Keynote address by Bridget Kenyon
Bridget Kenyon – a global CISO for Thales eSecurity with more than 20 years’ experience in information security, and an IT Governance Publishing (our sister company) author – delighted everyone with her keynote address: “Information Security as the Backbone of Reliable Business Operations”.
She gave a fascinating, interactive presentation on AI, focusing on its benefits, as well as the threats it presents, such as prompt hacking and jailbreaks.
Bridget made interesting points around how large language models such as ChatGPT are constantly using data to train their systems. A concern here is the quality of the input data: if this is wrong, it affects all future outputs.
Another worry is that applications like SharePoint, Microsoft Teams and Microsoft Copilot are all interconnected.
An employee – or a hacker – could ask Copilot how to hack into their organisation’s systems to uncover confidential information like salaries or sensitive documentation. Organisations must conduct an exposure assessment to mitigate such risks.
Then you get challenges around behavioural economics. Decisions can be made:
- By taking shortcuts; or
- Through thoughtful and detailed analysis.
98% of the time, people go with option 1: taking shortcuts.
For scammers, that’s a good way to get through to people – by having an influencer endorse sham products, for example. Or people seeing the same product advertised so often, via different channels, that they think: ‘this must be good; I should buy it’.
Bridget, thank you for the food for thought. Something to keep an eye on!
Panel discussion
After Bridget’s presentation and a half-hour networking break, we came to our panel discussion: “Beyond the Checkbox: Driving real value in cyber security and privacy management”.
This was hosted by GRC International Group (our parent company) CEO Alan Calder, with four panellists:
- James Pickard, our Head of Security Testing
- Saagar Shah, our Lead Cyber Security Advisor
- Gary Baxter, CyberComply’s Customer Success Manager
- Adam Romain, Founder and Technical Director at Data Defence, one of our partner MSPs (managed service providers)
From left to right: James Pickard, Saagar Shah, Alan Calder, Gary Baxter, Adam Romain
They discussed how organisations require a more holistic approach to cyber security and risk management to protect their assets and deliver value to their clients, as meeting the minimum compliance requirements is no longer sufficient in today’s rapidly evolving cyber threat landscape.
This is what Adam Romain had to say about the experience:
We have been working with IT Governance for several years, and being invited to their annual partner event is a real pleasure for us as an MSP. It’s an excellent opportunity to reinforce our relationship and further our shared objectives of delivering high-quality cyber security, governance and privacy management solutions to our clients. Bridget Kenyon’s keynote on AI and its challenges for information security was particularly illuminating and engaging.
IT Governance invited me to serve as a panellist to share insights into the challenges MSPs can encounter while striving to enhance cyber security and privacy management for our customers. The panel, chaired by Alan Calder, opened up a great opportunity to address key issues facing our industry.
In the open-forum discussion, we explored the challenges and risks of under-scoping, the limitations of merely ticking off compliance checkboxes, the opportunities often missed, and practical steps for delivering greater value. We also explored our thoughts on the emerging trends we face in cyber security, particularly with the new challenges AI brings to information security. In my view, the panel discussion was an enriching opportunity to be able to share and discuss these challenges.
Additionally, the networking opportunities at the event have opened up new lines of mutual partnerships with other MSPs and vendors. These informal yet productive discussions are instrumental in elevating the services and value we are able to offer to our customers.
So, kudos to Sophie, Jason and their team for organising such a great day. We are already looking forward to the next partner event that we will be sure to be part of again.
Awards ceremony
After the panel discussion, we got to the long-anticipated awards ceremony.
Many congratulations to all the winners!
Outstanding Partner of the Year: BCN
The Outstanding Partner of the Year award is in recognition of the partner that most excelled in promoting and championing IT Governance services, and plays a pivotal role in helping our partner programme expand year on year.
This isn’t an easy one to give out, as we have so many wonderful partners. This year’s award went to BCN for demonstrating exceptional commitment in advocating and delivering the many services we offer to its clients.
Thank you so much for all your efforts, and many congratulations on the award!
Most Influential Partner of the Year: Tela Technology
The Most Influential Partner of the Year award goes to the partner that, through activities on various social channels, made the biggest impact in promoting our services or products.
Tela Technology, this year’s winner, used social media to great effect. It also kindly participated in a video case study, amplifying the visibility of our offerings to clients from partners. Thank you, and congratulations!
Registered Partner of the Year: ASE Computer Services
The Registered Partner of the Year award celebrates a partner that operates within the ‘Registered’ level of our partner programme, and has shown significant progress in developing its relationship with IT Governance and promoting our services within its client network.
This year, the ‘cup’ went to ASE Computer Services – congratulations! We look forward to moving you up to the ‘Bronze’ level soon to reflect your growing commitment and success within our partner programme.
Bronze Partner of the Year: Utilize
The Bronze Partner of the Year award was tightly contested! We have so many partners in this tier that do a great job in developing our services and promoting them to their clients through, for example, social media and building our products into their service packages.
This year, the award went to Utilize: a partner that works hard, year after year, in continuing to grow its business with the help of our services. Thank you, and congratulations!
Silver Partner of the Year: Digital Insights UK
Our largest partners sit in the ‘Silver’ level, which automatically indicates a substantial level of collaboration, sales and joint initiatives between us over a number of years.
This year, the award for Silver Partner of the Year went to Digital Insights UK. We wanted to acknowledge and celebrate your contributions to the success of our partner programme, and your position as a strategic and valued partner within it. Thank you so much, congratulations, and keep up the good work!
Rising Star of the Year: Data Defence
The Rising Star of the Year award goes to a partner that has shown remarkable growth within its partnership over the past year. This recognition highlights its development, increased engagement, and significant contributions to the partnership.
This year, that was Data Defence. Thank you for your fantastic contributions, congratulations on the award, and we look forward to watching our partnership further blossom!
Most Active Networker: Aura Technology
The Most Active Networker award recognises the partner’s proactive efforts in expanding our partner programme by facilitating introductions and networking opportunities. This year, that was Aura Technology. Many congratulations, and thank you!
It’s great to see how actively you promote and endorse our offerings, showcasing a strong belief and trust in the quality and value of our services.
Best Partner Campaign: 1-Fix
This year, we awarded Best Partner Campaign to 1-Fix: a partner demonstrating initiative and creativity in developing specific product-based campaigns aimed at generating interest within its client base.
Thanks to its marketing vision, 1-Fix was able to quickly capitalise on the marketing support a new vendor partner provided. Thank you so much for your efforts, and congratulations on the award!
Best MSP Collaborative Partnership: Softwerx
The MSP Collaborative Partnership award went to Softwerx. Your ability to foster innovative alliances, and deliver seamless and highly effective cyber security solutions through collaborative efforts with industry partners, is exceptional.
Thank you, and congratulations on the award!
Cyber Essentials Partner of the Year: Purple Matrix
The Cyber Essentials Partner of the Year award went to Purple Matrix – congratulations, and thank you! It’s great to recognise your efforts in not only helping us improve our Cyber Essentials offerings but also effectively showcasing the benefits of the scheme to your clients.
Keep up the good work!
Contribution to Learning: Neterix
The Contribution to Learning award – or ‘Training Partner of the Year’, as we like to think of them – went to Neterix.
Thank you so much for your exceptional commitment to training, not only for your own staff but also for your clients! We love seeing your focus on enhancing awareness of, and security against, cyber threats. Congratulations on the award, and keep up the good work!
Best Newcomer: Steer IT Solutions
The Best Newcomer award recognises a partner that has recently – within the past 12 months – joined the programme, and has already demonstrated exceptional commitment to the partnership, as well as contributed significantly to mutual growth.
This year, that was Steer IT Solutions – thank you for your efforts, and congratulations on the award! We’re sorry you couldn’t make it to the event, but your award is on its way to you, and we hope to see you next year!
International Partner of the Year: USA and EU
Our partner programme isn’t limited to the UK – we’re growing internationally! We have some fantastic partners in the USA and EU, and while we understand that it’s difficult for you to make the trip to Ely, we’re so happy to see your contributions internationally! It’s fantastic to see our services expand into overseas markets.
So, to this year’s winners, LastLine Cyber (USA) and SecureSpace (EU): thank you so much for your efforts! You’re truly helping us establish our services abroad, which is very exciting, and we can’t wait to see where our partnerships take us next!
Want to learn more about our partner programme?
When I previously chatted to Sophie, I asked why organisations should partner with IT Governance. She responded:
We are the market leader in data privacy and cyber security risk management solutions, so it makes sense to partner with us. Our portfolio includes a broad range of integrated, high-quality solutions that we can deliver worldwide, and we always aim to meet organisations’ real-world needs.
[…]
When you partner with us, you get full access to our data privacy and cyber security offering of consultancy, training, penetration testing, staff awareness courses, software, tools and books.
You can also sell and deliver these products and services to your clients with our full support. Registered partners get a 10% discount on all our products, as well as two Complete Staff Awareness E-learning Suite licences.
To find out more about our partner programme, download our free brochure.
You can also email us at partners@itgovernance.co.uk, or call us on +44 (0)333 800 7000 and ask for Sophie Sayer. We’re always happy to help!
