Prashant Menon, the Channel Leader for UAE at Check Point Software Technologies, says, rather than selling technology, partners must focus on solving real business challenges
Could you share an overview of your career path to date, highlighting the pivotal moments or achievements that have shaped your leadership within the IT channel?
My career journey in the IT space has been defined by a mix of strategic roles, strong partner relationships and transformative initiatives that have shaped me as a leader. I started my career with a focus on sales and partner development, which gave me deep insights into how channel ecosystems operate and the importance of enabling partners to succeed. Early on, I learned that success in the channel isn’t just about product sales—it’s about building trust, creating value for partners and aligning with their business outcomes.
A pivotal moment came when I stepped into a leadership role overseeing channel strategy at a distributor. There, I led a partner transformation initiative where we disrupted the existing monopoly, introduced new incentive models and optimized our go-to-market approach. This resulted in double-digit revenue growth through the channel and significantly improved partner loyalty. That experience taught me how to balance innovation with operational execution to deliver measurable results.
In my current role at Check Point Software Technologies, I lead efforts around building and scaling partner strategies in the cyber security space. As a 100 percent channel-led organization, Check Point offers a unique opportunity to collaborate closely with partners across enablement, marketing and co-selling initiatives. It is here where I had my proudest achievement – leading a team of motivated individuals to drive strategic product pillars which increased our reach in the market and positioned us as a trusted advisor to both partners and customers.
I believe strong leadership in the channel is about vision and collaboration—not only with partners but also with internal cross-functional teams—delivering value that goes beyond transactions. That’s been my guiding principle throughout my career.
As a key channel influencer within your company, what are your primary roles and responsibilities in shaping strategy, driving engagement, and fostering growth within the partner ecosystem?
As a key channel influencer, my primary role is to shape and execute a partner-first strategy that aligns with our corporate vision and market goals. I focus on building a high-value partner ecosystem by identifying strategic alliances, defining clear go-to-market plans and ensuring that our solutions are positioned to drive mutual growth. I work closely with leadership to gather market intelligence, analyze partner capabilities and influence our product and sales strategy to stay ahead of market trends and competitors.
Driving partner engagement is central to my responsibilities. I prioritize enabling and empowering partners through structured training programs, technical certifications and business development workshops. I actively foster joint demand generation initiatives—such as co-branded marketing campaigns, events and digital outreach—to create pipeline and strengthen brand visibility. In addition, I focus on nurturing strong executive relationships with partners, ensuring that we have strategic alignment and executive sponsorship for all key initiatives.
To foster sustainable growth within the partner ecosystem, I closely monitor performance metrics such as deal registrations, pipeline health and partner-led revenue. I develop incentive programs, leverage market development funds (MDF) and conduct quarterly business reviews (QBRs) to ensure accountability and continuous improvement. By championing collaboration, resolving conflicts and driving innovation—especially around emerging technologies like cloud and cyber security—I ensure that our partner network remains competitive, motivated and focused on delivering exceptional value to customers.
How would you assess the current health and evolution of the IT channel, particularly within our region? What significant trends or shifts are you observing?
The IT channel in the Middle East is undergoing a meaningful transition. There’s a shift away from legacy resell models toward service-led engagements, particularly around secure cloud enablement, managed offerings and advisory roles. Partners are evolving into strategic collaborators, not just implementation arms.
There’s also growing demand for integrated security across hybrid infrastructures. Organizations are moving toward open ecosystems that can support diverse environments and tools. This shift is mirrored in the industry’s move toward hybrid mesh security— a framework that unifies security management across data centers, cloud and distributed networks, enabling centralized visibility and prevention.
What do you see as the single biggest challenge facing the IT channel in the region today, and conversely, what is the most significant untapped opportunity for partners?
The primary challenge is complexity. Partners are navigating fast-evolving technologies—AI, edge computing, secure cloud—while also managing talent gaps and margin pressure. Keeping up with this pace and still delivering consistent value, is no small task. Yet, that same complexity reveals opportunity. Businesses are actively seeking help in simplifying and securing their environments. There’s room for partners to step in—not just as technology providers, but as trusted advisors—offering guidance, integration and managed outcomes. The untapped space lies in building that kind of long-term value.
In your opinion, what are the most effective strategies partners can employ to drive sustainable growth and profitability in the current market, especially considering evolving customer demands?
It starts with clarity—on where you add the most value. Partners who specialize in areas like secure cloud, incident response, or compliance-led services tend to build stronger pipelines and longer-term client relationships. Profitability also improves when you reduce vendor lock-in for your customers and instead focus on open ecosystems.
That’s a core tenet of Check Point’s strategy: enabling partners to thrive within hybrid, multi-vendor environments using our Open Garden model—an approach that supports integration and interoperability across a wide range of third-party technologies, rather than locking customers into a single stack. By aligning with this model—and leveraging AI-powered threat prevention tools—partners can scale sustainably while helping clients stay protected and flexible.
How is the rapid advancement of AI, including Agentic AI and Generative AI, fundamentally reshaping the channel’s business models, partner opportunities, and the skill sets required for success?
AI is changing the channel at its core. Beyond automating workflows or enabling smarter analytics, it’s introducing new attack vectors that traditional tools can’t catch. This is forcing a rethink of both business models and security strategies. Check Point’s response has been to integrate prevention-first AI into the very fabric of our platform—through technologies like Infinity ThreatCloud AI and AI Cloud Protect. For partners, this means a shift toward advisory services, risk mitigation consulting and secure AI enablement. The skillsets that matter now go beyond deployment—they include data governance, AI ethics and multi-vendor orchestration. Partners that embrace this evolution will lead the market.
Given the escalating sophistication of cyber threats, how can channel partners best position themselves to deliver comprehensive cybersecurity solutions, moving beyond traditional offerings to address emerging risks like AI evasion?
What worked five years ago doesn’t work today. Cyber threats are more evasive, faster-moving and increasingly AI-driven. Partners need to move from a reactive approach to one that’s rooted in prevention and continuous visibility.
This means investing in real-time threat intelligence, endpoint-to-cloud integration and capabilities that allow for rapid containment—across platforms, not just within them. Vendors offering unified security architectures and AI-powered threat detection are helping partners build proactive, outcome-led services that address these evolving risks.
Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors and sustainability are gaining prominence. How can channel partners integrate these principles into their operations and offerings to create competitive advantages and meet evolving client expectations?
ESG is no longer just a checkbox; it’s becoming a core expectation in procurement and partnerships. Clients increasingly want to know that their partners share their values—and that includes everything from ethical sourcing to sustainable infrastructure. At Check Point, we’ve taken a transparent and standards-driven approach to ESG. All key suppliers are now aligned with our revised Supply Chain and Business Partner Code of Conduct, based on the Responsible Business Alliance framework. That code includes strict criteria for environmental practices, labor protections and operational transparency.
Channel partners who adopt similar principles—not just internally, but across their vendor and service networks—will find themselves better positioned for long-term customer loyalty and inclusion in high-value projects. ESG is about future-proofing—not just the planet, but the business.
The IT landscape demands continuous learning. What advice do you have for channel partners on attracting, developing, and retaining top talent, particularly in areas like AI, cloud security, and specialized industry solutions?
Attracting talent in this environment comes down to two things: opportunity and purpose. People want to work on technologies that matter and they want room to grow while doing it. Check Point supports partners in this journey through free certification programs, technical enablement tracks and SecureAcademy partnerships. These not only upskill teams, but also give partners a competitive edge in high-demand domains like GenAI security and hybrid cloud. Internally, partners should foster environments where people are encouraged to learn, experiment, lead and where diverse talent is actively supported. The companies that prioritize this culture will have no trouble retaining top-tier talent.
How do you see the roles of different partner types—such as Managed Service Providers (MSPs), Independent Software Vendors (ISVs), and system integrators—evolving, and how can they best collaborate to deliver integrated solutions?
The boundaries between partner types are dissolving. MSPs are building software, ISVs are delivering managed offerings and integrators are operating like consultants. This convergence is a response to customer needs—businesses don’t want piecemeal fixes, they want outcomes. Collaboration across partner types is key. Open integration models and cross-vendor architectures make it possible for partners to co-deliver seamless, full-spectrum solutions. The more they can align around shared platforms—without being constrained by proprietary limitations—the more value they can collectively bring to the table.
Drawing from your experience and looking ahead, what is your most crucial piece of advice for partners seeking long-term success and relevance in this rapidly transforming IT channel?
My most crucial advice to partners is to embrace continuous transformation and evolve beyond a transactional mindset to become true strategic advisors to customers. The IT channel is shifting rapidly with the rise of cloud, cyber security, AI and consumption-based models. Partners who invest in building advanced capabilities—whether through technical certifications, cloud-native expertise, or vertical specialization—will remain relevant and indispensable.
Equally important is adopting a customer-centric approach. Rather than selling technology, partners must focus on solving real business challenges. That means developing consultative skills, using data-driven insights and co-creating tailored, outcome-focused solutions. Lastly, collaboration and innovation are critical. Partners should proactively align with vendor strategies, leverage joint go-to-market initiatives, and invest in emerging technologies early. The most successful partners in the future will be those who build strong ecosystems, embrace digital-first engagement models and continuously reinvent themselves to stay ahead of the curve.
