Cloud encryption provider CipherCloud Inc. recently announced its new technology partner program, CipherCloud Connect Technology Partners. With the program, customers of San Jose, Calif.-based company will be assured seamless, certified interoperability with CipherCloud Connect Technology Partner solutions.
Founded in 2010, CipherCloud provides a unified cloud data protection gateway with technology to encrypt sensitive data in real time before it’s sent to the cloud, and customers hold the key. CipherCloud in September also introduced the CipherCloud Connect AnyApp, which enables customers to encrypt millions of public and private cloud Web applications with simple configuration; and CipherCloud Database Gateway, which encrypts data-at-rest without requiring application, schema, or database infrastructure changes.
Supported databases include IaaS, SaaS, and PaaS systems such as Amazon RDS, Microsoft SQL Azure, Oracle Database Cloud Service, and database.com, as well as existing private cloud and behind-the-firewall database installations of Oracle Database, Microsoft SQL Server, and MySQL.
Among the new technology partners announced are AppExtremes, DBSync, ClaimVantage, and Ping Identity. ClaimVantage, based in Dublin, with U.S. offices in South Portland, Maine, offers a cloud-based, claims-processing system built on Force.com from Salesforce.
Leo Corcoran, CEO of ClaimVantage, says the biggest barrier to cloud adoption is “you’ve got to get by the security issue; IT people need to get by it.”
Without a solution like CipherCloud, Corcoran says, “there are deals we won’t get with large customers.” He explains that in the Salesforce.com world, data is encrypted in the ether, “but on server farms it’s in its original state. There’s a chance data could be physically breached.”
He says CipherCloud has the best solution to ease customer fears of a breach. “Data fields are encrypted outside the firewall, and the customer controls the encryption key, which means data on server farms are sitting in encrypted form.”
Kevin Bocek, CipherCloud’s vice president of marketing, says the company “wanted to bring together for us and our customers a set of cloud providers, and ensure that our encryption services worked in all scenarios with their use cases and needs.” The cloud, he says, raises concerns with issues of privacy, residency, compliance, and overall security. “We wanted to ensure the technical capability, but also the reassurance that all of these barriers would be addressed. So we brought together a set of innovators in their respective areas.”
The technology partners program is the latest in partnering for CipherCloud, which Bocek says has strategic partner relationships with Salesforce, Google, and Microsoft. And the company has a channel partner reseller program with about two dozen organizations globally. He adds, “We have a direct sales team that supports our channel partners and works with some large opportunities. Our direct team is always in support of our channel and technology partners, so they’re not two separate teams.”
Technology partners are not resellers, but if they choose to be part of the reseller program there are additional incentives, Bocek says. CipherCloud also offers certification programs for both sales and technical engineers, he adds.
Going forward, Bocek says CipherCloud will be continuing to add partners, “and that spans the gamut from solutions providers like ClaimVantage to more core technical partners that provide pieces of the infrastructure that’s integrated. We’re also looking forward to bringing on partners offering our product as a service; we have some that are about ready to turn on.”
He says the company is looking to expand its relationships globally as well with leading cloud and security solution providers. “We want to be looking to engage with those providers; they’re so critical in helping enterprises make the move to the cloud.”
To learn more about CipherCloud and the Connect Technology Partner Program, visit www.ciphercloud.com.
