Earlier this month, Illumio announced its Global Technology Alliance Partner Program, which they said would reduce risk for modern enterprises.  To understand more, VMblog reached out to Eric Renner, VP, Technology Alliances, at Illumio.

VMblog:  How does the Global TAP program differ from the technology alliances and partnerships Illumio currently has (or has had in the past)?  In other words, why launch a Global TAP program now?

Eric Renner:  Illumio has had technology alliances for a number of years, but the new Illumio Technology Alliance Partner (TAP) Program represents a program structure and strategy that is not only new to the company, but also crucial at a time when the rise of ransomware has reinforced the need for greater collaboration across the industry. The new Illumio TAP program allows us to continue our commitment of creating better access for customers through integrations that are proven to accelerate Zero Trust strategy adoption for modern enterprises.

VMblog:  What are the key benefits of the Global TAP program for Illumio, its partners and your collective customers?

Renner:  The Illumio TAP program makes it simple for partners to integrate with Illumio's segmentation solutions, to help customers reach their Zero Trust goals with ease and speed. Over the past year, as growing ransomware attacks have made it clear that perimeter defenses alone are not enough in mitigating the impact of attacks, many organizations have been encouraged to implement Zero Trust without knowing where to start.

Since Zero Trust is a long-term strategy and cannot be achieved by implementing just one vendor's solution, it's imperative to have greater access to solutions and innovative integrations across the industry. By allowing partners to collaborate throughout the ecosystem, the Illumio TAP program underscores Illumio's commitment to mitigating the spread of ransomware.  

VMblog:  How does the Global TAP program fit into Illumio's growth strategy?  And what is the overall goal of the program?

Renner:  As Illumio continues to scale and grow, we are committed to driving solutions and programs that stem from customer conversations. It's important to us to lead with a customer-first business mindset, responding to the evolving demands of security leaders and partners and helping them act on the need to strengthen their cybersecurity posture.

For example, our customers tell us that the business disruption cyberattacks cause is one of the core challenges they face today, and that ease of adoption is a top priority when it comes to implementing new security solutions. That's why the Illumio TAP program simplifies the process of integrating with Illumio's solutions, connecting our visibility and micro-segmentation technology with other best-of-breed security solutions to accelerate customers' Zero Trust journeys. 

VMblog:  What tools and technologies will Illumio's partners be able to access via the Global TAP program?

Renner:  Illumio's Global TAP program enables partners to develop solutions with all of Illumio's products, including Illumio Core, Illumio Edge, and Illumio CloudSecure - which make customers more resilient to attacks with visibility and Zero Trust segmentation in the datacenter, on endpoints, and in hybrid and multi-clouds respectively.

Moreover, as part of the TAP program, Illumio's partners have access to Illumio technology, robust APIs, support portal, and documentation that enable integrations and ultimately support customers on their way to reaching their Zero Trust goals. To ensure that integrations are well-designed, and customers can deploy them with confidence, Illumio also validates integrations and works with partners to promote the resulting solution together. In short, Illumio makes sure each partnership is collaborative from the beginning. 

VMblog:  What is the current makeup of the program?  What are the long-term plans for expanding the program?

Renner:  We intend to expand the Illumio TAP program with solutions and partnerships based on meaningful business and technical collaboration to ensure that we continuously deliver value on our partner engagements. 

The Illumio TAP program was built on the foundational belief that achieving a strong Zero Trust security posture begins with collaboration. As partners across the ecosystem continue to leverage our solutions to integrate and interoperate, we'll be better poised to expand across the ecosystem and accelerate the Zero Trust strategy adoption for customers around the globe.

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