Barracuda’s Jessica Kingham

“Organizations completed two years’ worth of digital transformation in just two months.”

Jessica Kingham is manager, channel sales, Barracuda Networks.

CF: How long have you worked in the channel?

JK: I’ve worked in the channel for over five years, having joined Barracuda as national channel manager in June 2016. I became manager, channel sales, in June 2021.

CF: What’s your favourite part of your job?

JK: One perk of working in the channel is that the industry is constantly evolving. Because the channel is always changing, it has given me the opportunity to adapt, grow and shine on a daily basis. It never stays still, it’s always full of variety with no two days the same, and that’s massively important for me.

As for my job in particular, there is always the opportunity to meet so many different people and personalities. I’ve been able to collaborate with partners and customers on projects that are unique to them.

CF: What are some of the biggest changes you’re seeing in the channel today?

JK: During my time at Barracuda, I have had the pleasure of working with lots of different customers and partners. But, over the last two years, COVID has made organisations, including Barracuda, completely rethink their approach and accelerate many of the initiatives that they had. The pandemic has been responsible for the biggest changes I’ve seen as of late.

Organizations completed what would have been two years’ worth of digital transformation in just two months. And where at the time this was a daunting experience for most, being involved in the process has made being in IT so exciting. Being a part of such crucial projects, at such a crucial time for organisations across the world has been amazing.

CF: Is there one thing you believe channel organisations and vendors can do to encourage or enable more women leaders?

JK: One of the most important things when you’re learning and growing in your career is making sure you surround yourself with likeminded and motivational people. What has helped me on a personal level is having those industry leaders around me, who were all easily accessible and volunteered their time to help mentor me along my channel journey.

I was given opportunities to learn and grow from them, and I was given the freedom to be creative in how I wanted to develop the channel. My voice was heard and appreciated and that goes a long way in showing employees, especially women, that they are valued.

CF:  What can we expect from Barracuda in 2022?

JK: 2022 will be the year we continue to leverage more and more technologies to address the challenges that the channel sees on a daily basis. Cybersecurity defences need to be strengthened, as the nature of threats and the complexity of environments has changed. This is the year we need to see more cooperation to shore up defenses against attacks by cybercriminals. This is a great opportunity to bring in different perspectives, and in the cybersecurity or IT space, that will play a prominent role in a company’s success in securing themselves.

We also need to make 2022 the year that the channel reignites the meaningful conversation around ransomware. We’re now dealing with global criminal operations that are driving ransomware and similar types of attacks to all sizes of businesses, at differing scales, and it’s important for people to recognize the scale of the attacks. Whilst we hear about ransomware everyday, and we know the importance of protecting against it, and whilst some are sick of reading or writing about it, end users still need to hear about it, read about it and know that we care.