CHANNEL CHIEF
SHANE GRENNAN is a Channel Director for the Middle East for Fortinet , which is a global leader in broad , integrated and automated cybersecurity solutions . He talks about his current job role and how Fortinet works with channel partners .
Describe your current job role and the parts that are somewhat challenging ?
In my role as Channel Director , I am responsible for transforming the enterprise and alliances partner ecosystem at Fortinet Middle East , to support the company milestones in the region for the next five years . This year the greatest challenge has been taking up a new role without being able to travel to meet members of my team and Fortinet partners outside the UAE .
Can you explain how your company works with channel partners ?
As a channel-driven company , Fortinet works with partners to achieve scale in the market and to help service our many customers on an on-going basis . We have a very close working relationship with our partners , based on trust , respect and mutually agreed success .
How do you ensure channel partners flourish in a highly competitive market ?
By working closely with our partners , engaging together early on projects and focusing on customer value , we ensure our valued partner community continues to grow their Fortinet joint business , in a profitable manner .
What are the latest trends you see emerging across the channel ?
Our partners have done an amazing job figuring out how to continue to service customers while being mostly remote . Now that is done and we are back on the dominant trend of how do partners help customers most forward securely in their digital journey and thus stay high on the value stack . Moving forward securely means public cloud adoption , secure SD-WAN for WAN transformation , security operations automation , AI and , for many customers , OT / IT integration .
What is your management philosophy ?
Everyone wants to be a contributing member of a winning team on a mission ; I focus on creating that . I lead first and manage where needed . My role is to create a culture and environment where people will consistently strive to go further and deliver excellence .
When you look back at your career what has been the most memorable achievement ?
That is a very hard question , but I think one that stands out is bringing the Fortinet name to the Irish market back in 2009 and ,
This year the greatest challenge has been taking up a new role without being able to travel to meet members of my team and Fortinet partners outside the UAE .
Shane Grennan , Channel Director Middle East , Fortinet
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