https://www.channelfutures.com/wp-content/themes/channelfutures_child/assets/images/logo/footer-new-logo.png
  • Home
  • Technologies
    • Back
    • SDN/SD-WAN
    • Cloud
    • RMM/PSA
    • Security
    • Telephony/UC/Collaboration
    • Cable
    • Mobility & Wireless
    • Fiber/Ethernet
    • Data Centers
    • Backup & Disaster Recovery
    • IoT
    • Desktop
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Analytics
  • Strategy
    • Back
    • Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Channel Research
    • Business Models
    • Distribution
    • Technology Solutions Brokerages
    • Sales & Marketing
    • Best Practices
    • Vertical Markets
    • Regulation & Compliance
  • MSP 501
    • Back
    • Complete 2023 MSP 501 Rankings
    • 2023 MSP 501 50-1
    • 2023 MSP 501 100-51
    • 2023 MSP 501 150-101
    • 2023 MSP 501 200-151
    • 2023 MSP 501 250-201
    • 2023 MSP 501 300-251
    • 2023 MSP 501 350-301
    • 2023 MSP 501 400-351
    • 2023 MSP 501 450-401
    • 2023 MSP 501 501-451
    • NextGen 101 Rankings
  • Intelligence
    • Back
    • Galleries
    • Podcasts
    • From the Industry
    • Reports/Digital Issues
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • Channel Futures TV
  • EMEA
  • Channel Chatter
    • Back
    • People on the Move
    • New/Changing Channel Programs
    • New Products & Services
    • Industry Honors
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Channel Futures 20: Top Tech Providers
    • Advisory Boards
    • Industry Organizations
    • Our Sponsors
    • Advertise
    • 2023 Editorial Calendar
  • Awards
    • Back
    • 2023 MSP 501
    • 2023 NextGen 101
    • Channel Influencers
    • Circle of Excellence
    • DE&I 101
    • Technology Advisor 101 (TA 101)
    • Channel Leaders Lists
  • Events
    • Back
    • 2024 CP Expo Call for Speakers
    • Channel Futures Leadership Summit
    • MSP Summit
    • CP Conference & Expo
    • Channel Partners Europe
    • Channel Partners Event Coverage
    • Webinars
    • Industry Events
  • About Us
  • DE&I
Channel Futures
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Technologies
    • Back
    • SDN/SD-WAN
    • Cloud
    • RMM/PSA
    • Security
    • Telephony/UC/Collaboration
    • Cable
    • Mobility & Wireless
    • Fiber/Ethernet
    • Data Centers
    • Backup & Disaster Recovery
    • IoT
    • Desktop
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Analytics
  • Strategy
    • Back
    • Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Channel Research
    • Business Models
    • Distribution
    • Technology Solutions Brokerages
    • Sales & Marketing
    • Best Practices
    • Vertical Markets
    • Regulation & Compliance
  • MSP 501
    • Back
    • Complete 2023 MSP 501 Rankings
    • 2023 MSP 501 50-1
    • 2023 MSP 501 100-51
    • 2023 MSP 501 150-101
    • 2023 MSP 501 200-151
    • 2023 MSP 501 250-201
    • 2023 MSP 501 300-251
    • 2023 MSP 501 350-301
    • 2023 MSP 501 400-351
    • 2023 MSP 501 450-401
    • 2023 MSP 501 501-451
    • NextGen 101 Rankings
  • Intelligence
    • Back
    • Galleries
    • Podcasts
    • From the Industry
    • Reports/Digital Issues
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • Channel Futures TV
  • EMEA
  • Channel Chatter
    • Back
    • People on the Move
    • New/Changing Channel Programs
    • New Products & Services
    • Industry Honors
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Channel Futures 20: Top Tech Providers
    • Advisory Boards
    • Industry Organizations
    • Our Sponsors
    • Advertise
    • 2023 Editorial Calendar
  • Awards
    • Back
    • 2023 MSP 501
    • 2023 NextGen 101
    • Channel Influencers
    • Circle of Excellence
    • DE&I 101
    • Technology Advisor 101 (TA 101)
    • Channel Leaders Lists
  • Events
    • Back
    • 2024 CP Expo Call for Speakers
    • Channel Futures Leadership Summit
    • MSP Summit
    • CP Conference & Expo
    • Channel Partners Europe
    • Channel Partners Event Coverage
    • Webinars
    • Industry Events
  • About Us
  • DE&I
    • Newsletter
  • REGISTER
  • MSPs
  • VARs / SIs
  • Agents
  • Cloud Service Providers
  • Channel Partners Events
 Channel Futures

Security


Shutterstock

Connect the dots

For SOCSoter’s Eric Pinto, It’s All About Connecting the Dots

  • Written by Buffy Naylor
  • March 5, 2021
The key, he says, is not only understanding the importance of technology, but being able to communicate it.
SOCSoter's Eric Pinto

SOCSoter’s Eric Pinto

Eric Pinto attributes his success in the channel largely to his ability to connect the dots. Pinto, senior director of channel and product strategy for Maryland-based network cybersecurity provider SOCSoter, is a new member of the Channel Partners Editorial Advisory Board. He has worked “both sides of the table,” as he puts it, working with end customers and vendors. And on both sides, he found himself well served by his ability to communicate, to help clients and partners see the big picture.

Pinto, who graduated from Boston College with a degree in advertising communication, grew up in something of a tech environment. “My dad was always tech-oriented,” he said. “He was a middle-level manager with several different tech groups coming up through the ‘80s and ‘90s and told me, ‘You really need to pay attention to what’s next.’”

With that advice in mind and new degree in hand, he saw a job posting for selling DSL service and he jumped on it. “I had no idea what it was, other than a way to get higher-speed connections into both businesses and homes, which had previously been unattainable,” he said. “I thought it sounded interesting, like something my dad would say is what’s next.”

After a brief time at the job, Pinto realized he could do more than just dial the phone and make a sales pitch. If given the chance, he could conduct the higher-level conversation about technology. Those were currently being handed over to another team member. Being able to do so, he thought, would help him maintain rapport with the client. It would eliminate the awkwardness of having to introduce new parties to the process and bring them up to speed on what had happened so far.

The Higher-Level Conversation

Pinto got his hands on the materials his team members were using. He then educated himself about things like networking and how the infrastructure worked. “I learned what the key and important points were and just started doing it,” he said. “And I quickly moved out of the seat I was in and into a sales engineer role. From there, I continued to roll, continued to be trained, continued to train myself, continued to work with groups like CompTIA. Through the years I came to understand not only the technology, but the practical application of that technology. And that’s sort of my thing — that I can connect those dots.”

“And now, looking at security, it’s awesome. I’ve been in security for the bulk of my career, in anti-spam and security. I must connect those dots for business owners. I’m asking them to spend a little more — or a lot more — than what they’re spending now or asking them to make fundamental changes in their organization and how they work. So I need to convey to them the reasons why it’s important, why it matters. And those are the conversations I found I am really well-suited to have.”

Into the Channel

In the early 2000s, Pinto and a friend started their own security shop, DefenderSoft. In 2011, they sold their customer base to Spam Soap (later Nuvotera, which was acquired by Excel Micro in 2015). Pinto moved to Spam Soft as well, making the move to the channel in the process. “It was really interesting to come on board with Spam Soap and see the other side of the house, understand what the relationship looks like,” he said. “It really helped me to frame the larger picture.”

As Pinto sees it, that larger picture includes a middle space between vendors and partners. It’s “a channel space that acts as a conduit up and a conduit down — for information, for support, for billing purposes, all those things. It was an unfamiliar space for me, so it was great to have that as my introduction to what has become my career in working in channel sales.”

Security Challenges

One of the biggest challenges in security today as Pinto sees it is awareness at the user level. And not just that threats exist, but how pervasive they are and the extent of the damage that hackers can do.

“Hackers, or those with malicious intent, don’t really care if they get 10,000 financial records from one computer or…

  • Page 1
  • Page 2
Tags: Agents Business Models Security

Most Recent


  • Cisco acquisition of Splunk gets partner reaction
    Partners Hope Splunk Keeps 'Pace of Innovation' in Cisco Acquisition
    All will be well if Cisco integrates Splunk the way it integrated Meraki, a partner told Channel Futures.
  • cloud marketplaces
    Haven’t Drunk the Cloud Marketplaces Kool-Aid? It’s About Time You Did
    The Ultimate Partner's Vince Menzione explains why channel partners (small ones, too) need to get on board.
  • Watching reality TV
    The Channel on Reality TV: Tech Advisor Shares Experience on Startup Show
    Going on a show for entrepreneurs showed how the technology advisor channel is one of the business world's "biggest secrets."
  • Red Hat partner program getting a revamp
    Red Hat Partner Program Set for Revamp
    Red Hat is overhauling its partner program to better reflect its ecosystem of partners, says a channel exec.

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your Channel Futures account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • USB drive
    A Coup and a Theft: Why MSPs Can’t Let Clients Get Lax About USB Security
  • Ransomware skull and crossbones
    JBS Did What it 'Needed to Do' with $11 Million Ransom Payment
  • hybrid clouds
    Nutanix, HPE Team on Hybrid, Multicloud via GreenLake
  • lone Arctic wolf
    Arctic Wolf Enhances Partner Program with 2 New Tiers

Upcoming Events

View all

Channel Futures Leadership Summit

October 30, 2023 - November 2, 2023

Channel Partners Conference & Expo

March 11, 2024 - March 14, 2024

Channel Futures Leadership Summit 2024

September 17, 2024 - September 19, 2024

Galleries

View all

Broadcom-VMware Hits Snag in China as IT Incurs Too-High Cloud Costs

September 22, 2023

Cisco’s Splunk Acquisition ‘True Bombshell Move,’ Will Have Massive Impact on Cybersecurity

September 21, 2023

Cisco SMB Business Gets Updated Sales Coverage Model, New Investments

September 21, 2023

Industry Perspectives

View all

Why Conversational AI Matters for Your Customers and How It Can Boost Your Revenue

September 15, 2023

The 5 Ds that Lead to Unplanned Business Sales

September 13, 2023

Hot Generative AI Market Must ‘Cool Down’

August 28, 2023

Webinars

View all

MSP 501: Leadership in Cybersecurity

October 19, 2023

DE&I: Find the Balance that Works for You

September 7, 2023

Above and Beyond with the NextGen 101ers

August 30, 2023

White Papers

View all

6 UCaaS Reseller Challenges and How Real World Businesses Solved Them

February 1, 2023

Frost Radar: North American UCaaS Market, 2022

February 1, 2023

The Complete Guide to White-Label UCaaS for Reseller Success

February 1, 2023

Channel Futures TV

View all

Coffee with Craig and James Episode 129: ZLH Enterprises

Coffee with Craig and James Episode 128: Channel Partner Strategies Intelligence Service

August 25, 2023

Coffee with Craig and James Episode 127: Expereo, Movie Night Returns

August 18, 2023

Coffee with Craig and James Episode 126: ARG

July 28, 2023

MSP 501

The industry's largest and most comprehensive partner awards program.

Newsletters and Updates

Sign up for The Channel Report, Channel Futures Update, MSP 501 Newsletter and more.

Live Channel Events

Get the latest information on the next industry-leading Channel Partners event.

Galleries

Educational slide shows and images from live events.

Media Kit And Advertising

Want to reach our audience? Access our media kit.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • Channel Partners Events
  • Telecoms.com
  • MSP 501
  • Black Hat
  • IoT World Today
  • Omdia

WORKING WITH US

  • Contact
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Newsletter

FOLLOW Channel Futures ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2023 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X