An interview with Octiga's CEO

November 24, 2023 | Cybersecurity , octiga , office365 security
Robert Hall

Written by
Robert Hall

It's been 10 months since the launch of Octiga's innovative Office 365 security solution in the UK.

At Brigantia, our partnerships are important, and we place great value on the relationships we build with our vendors and channel partners. Recently, we sat down with Octiga's CEO, Dr Rob McFeely, to reflect on the partnership so far.

What is Octiga?

Octiga enables MSPs to deliver Office 365 security to their clients. In my experience, MSPs are delivering Office 365 security in an ad hoc, inconsistent, and non-standardised way which results in large gaps in the environment.

Octiga allows MSPs to deliver 365 security extremely easily, covering all the security controls, all the risks, and all of their tenants, all of the time.

How did Octiga start?

In the early days, Octiga was designed as a solution for SMEs to help configure their Office 365 security. Over time, it became clear that this wasn't something SMEs were looking for. So, from this, Octiga pivoted towards MSPs.

Many MSPs were unaware of the solutions available in this space and Octiga enabled them to offer multi-tenant, multi-client functionality, in a robust format. MSPs were able to offer 365 security to any client no matter their size or structure.

How did your partnership with Brigantia come about?

In 2022, Octiga was selling directly to MSPs through the Irish distribution channel. We approached Brigantia having already heard about them as a cybersecurity distributor and at the same time, they had already heard about us.

With a clear need for Office 365 security in the market, it was the perfect partnership. By January 2023, Octiga launched as a new vendor with Brigantia.

How was the onboarding process?

Before launching as a new vendor, the onboarding process was thorough to test the product and ensure was set up correctly. The largest amount of time was spent ensuring the dedicated product specialist was trained fully on the product to allow them to offer the high level of support and expertise that Brigantia prides itself on.

How would you describe the experience of launching with Brigantia?

Since launching with Brigantia, the journey has been nothing but positive. Brigantia is trusted by MSPs because they focus on what they do. The webinar launch was a success, not only because of the product but also because the trust was already there on the partner side. There was no need to break down any barriers to convince MSPs about the benefits of Octiga.

Describe your partnership with Brigantia

What stood out about working with Brigantia is the strong working relationship we've developed with them. "Personable" and "trust" are two words I'd use to describe them.

Their highly skilled and knowledgeable team is not solely focused on a sale. Elliot, Brigantia's dedicated product specialist for Octiga, is in continuous contact with me. I'll talk to Elliot about new features and changes and receive huge amounts of feedback from him via the partners he speaks with.

The open and honest feedback we get from Brigantia allows us to inform our other channels elsewhere in terms of strategy, and the trust, honesty, and highly personable approach make for a strong relationship. Working with Brigantia allows me to feel closer to the MSPs we're helping, which is extremely important for an MSP-focused solution.

How would you describe Brigantia's knowledge of Octiga?

Excellent. And what's refreshing is that sometimes they can even sell it better than I could!

What's next for Octiga?

The aim is to broaden standardisation and configurations in Office 365. We want to help MSPs in delivering the solution and heighten the proof of service through new features. High-touch features with clients are going to come in more and more, allowing the client and MSP to become tighter, with Octiga as the enabler.

Final thoughts

We'd like to thank Rob for taking the time to talk to us. At Brigantia, we pride ourselves on our portfolio and will always put quality first. Partnering with vendors like Octiga, we're able to offer MSPs the most effective cybersecurity solutions and continue building trusting relationships that the products we have on offer address a critical point in cybersecurity.

It's fantastic to know that the technical and commercial expertise of our team is recognised and utilised by our vendors and MSPs. We look forward to our continued partnership and success with Octiga, providing our partners with the best Office 365 security.

If you'd like to find out more about our vendors, head to our website.

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