The following is the transcript from the podcast interview featuring Jason Beal, President, Americas, and Andrew Warren, Vice President of Sales & Marketing, North America at Exclusive Networks:
To listen to the podcast, click here.
Jay McCall (Host):
Managed Services Journal is an online publication built to help technology solution providers identify and tap into new sources of recurring revenue.
Welcome to the Managed Services Journal podcast. I’m your host, Jay McCall.
Cybersecurity is a massive and growing opportunity in the United States, driven by several factors – one of which is cybercrime. Damages are predicted to reach $10.5 trillion this year, according to Cybersecurity Ventures.
Jason Beal, President, Americas at Exclusive NetworksAdding to the challenge, the U.S. faces a shortage of about 265,000 unfilled cybersecurity positions.
Today’s guests are from a company that specializes in cybersecurity and supports managed services providers in a unique way. I’m joined by Jason Beal, President of North America at Exclusive Networks, and Andrew Warren, VP of Sales and Marketing at Exclusive Networks.
Gentlemen, welcome to the podcast.
Jason Beal:
Great to be here. Thanks, Jay.
Andrew Warren:
Thank you, Jay. I appreciate you having us.
Andrew Warren, Vice President of Sales & Marketing, North America at Exclusive NetworksJay McCall:
I’m excited about today’s conversation. Cybersecurity is a hot topic with our readers and listeners. Before we jump into my questions, why don’t you take a minute to share an overview of your roles at Exclusive Networks and tell us a little about the company for those who may not be familiar.
Jason Beal:
Sure, thanks for having us and hello to the audience. My name is Jason Beal, and I serve as President of North America for Exclusive Networks. I joined the company in January, and I’m based in Southern California.
I’ve been in the channel for a long time, working in various management roles at vendors and distributors. It’s exciting to be at a company like Exclusive, which has an incredible culture and deep expertise in the cybersecurity industry.
Andrew Warren:
And I’m Andrew Warren. I lead sales and marketing here at Exclusive Networks North America. I’ve spent more than 20 years in the channel, with most of that time focused on cybersecurity – both at vendors and distributors.
As Jason mentioned, Exclusive is a large global organization. What excites me is the unique opportunity to build on that heritage as a cybersecurity-focused distributor here in North America. I’ve been with the company just over four months, and it’s been exciting to help expand that focus.
Jay McCall:
Fantastic. Let’s dive in. As a cybersecurity-focused distributor, how do you work with managed services providers? What makes working with Exclusive different from working with a traditional distributor?
Jason Beal:
That’s a great question. Most of the partners we work with across the U.S. and Canada operate some form of hybrid business model. They may combine managed services with product resale, professional services, or cloud services, depending on the customer’s needs.
What I find exciting is how agile partners are today. If a customer wants to purchase a solution and manage it themselves, partners can deliver that. If the customer wants help with professional services or to fully outsource, partners can provide that too.
At Exclusive, we support this flexibility in two ways. First, we’re a product aggregator – pulling together multi-vendor solutions that partners can offer their customers. Second, we’re a services orchestrator – providing in-house services and capabilities we’ve acquired to strengthen our partners’ bench.
So when MSPs want to deliver full-lifecycle cyber defense services, they rely on us: for products, for services they don’t have in-house, and for help managing their customers’ preferences for how technology is purchased, consumed, or supported.
Andrew Warren:
I’d add that cybersecurity is the most complex technology area, with more vendors than anywhere else in tech – over 2,000. For MSPs and MSSPs, it’s challenging to make sense of that.
Even with one large platform vendor, you might be dealing with 40-plus product families. How can an MSP realistically specialize in all of those? That’s where we provide value – helping partners navigate the complexity by bringing together best-of-breed solutions, while also giving them the flexibility to outsource niche services when needed.
It’s precisely because cybersecurity is so complex – and the risks so severe– that the MSP/MSSP space is growing quickly. Customers can’t handle everything in-house, even large enterprises. That’s why aggregators like Exclusive are essential.
Jay McCall:
That makes sense. Beyond technology aggregation, what are some additional services MSPs rely on from Exclusive Networks?
Andrew Warren:
Training and enablement are a big one. We provide full training capabilities across all our vendors. We also offer professional services that partners can leverage, and last year we acquired CloudRise, which expanded our services portfolio even further in areas like SSE and DSPM.
Everything we do operates on a 100% channel model, so MSPs can use us to extend their expertise while ensuring their end customers get the best support.
And of course, the skills gap is huge, so we also partner with universities like Cal Poly in California and Colorado Mesa University to build cybersecurity talent pipelines.
Jason Beal:
Exactly. To add on: MSPs live and die by their ability to support the full customer lifecycle—from landing customers, driving adoption, and expanding accounts, to ensuring renewals and retention. We offer services across that entire lifecycle.
For example, our business intelligence and analytics can help MSPs identify net-new opportunities. We can also help them expand revenue by recommending logical “next step” technologies to sell into existing accounts.
And around refresh opportunities, such as the upcoming Fortinet hardware refresh cycle, we provide tools down to the serial number level, so MSPs know exactly which customer appliances to replace – and with what.
All of this enables MSPs to grow revenue while strengthening customer security.
Jay McCall:
Got it. Earlier, you mentioned training and certifications. I was hoping you could walk me through how an MSP that’s newer to cybersecurity can access these resources.
Andrew Warren:
A lot of the training is delivered online, but we also provide highly personalized support. Exclusive has earned a strong reputation for consultative, white-glove service.
When an MSP engages with us, we work closely to understand their starting point, identify what certifications or skills they need, and then build out a roadmap tailored to their goals.
We’re the largest global training partner for Fortinet, and we’ve also acquired dedicated training organizations that cover multiple vendors. So, whether it’s certifications, enablement, or augmenting an MSP’s staff with our professionals, we help partners move up the curve step by step.
Jason Beal:
And beyond training, we’re tackling the cybersecurity talent shortage directly. Through our “Cyber Farm” program at Cal Poly and Colorado Mesa, we employ students part-time, train them on certifications like Fortinet, SentinelOne, and Netskope, and then make that talent available to MSP partners.
MSPs can hire these students directly – without recruiting fees – or even contract them part-time while they’re still in school. It’s a very practical way to address the skills gap.
Jay McCall:
That’s fascinating. So, not only are you training current MSP staff, but you’re also developing the next generation of cybersecurity talent and making them accessible to partners.
Jason Beal:
Exactly. We’re proud to say many of these students graduate into roles at major vendors, partners, or even directly at Exclusive Networks. It’s a win for everyone: the students, the MSPs, and the industry as a whole.
Jay McCall:
Let’s shift gears to AI. It’s one of the hottest topics right now. How do you see AI playing a role in cybersecurity – for both attackers and defenders – and how are MSPs using it?
Andrew Warren:
The pace of adoption is incredible. Vendors are embedding AI capabilities deeply into their platforms, making tools like security analytics, configuration, and troubleshooting more effective and accessible.
For MSPs, that means AI is helping analysts do more with less knowledge – reducing false positives, speeding up investigations, and making SOC teams more efficient.
Of course, attackers are also using AI, so it’s a double-edged sword. But vendors like Fortinet and SentinelOne are advancing AI features at incredible speed, which benefits MSPs directly.
Jason Beal:
I’d add that MSPs are also looking at building “AI as a Service” practices for their customers – helping them adopt tools like Microsoft Copilot, or guiding them on use cases.
At the same time, AI introduces new cybersecurity risks of its own, creating an entirely new category: security for AI. MSPs will need trusted partners like us to help identify and incorporate these emerging security solutions into their service offerings.
Jay McCall:
Let me ask about your vendor selection process. With so many cybersecurity companies in the market, how does Exclusive decide which vendors to partner with?
Jason Beal:
It starts with listening to our partners and their customers. What problems are they facing? What technologies are they asking for? That drives most of our technology decisions.
We also examine the vendor’s leadership team, financial stability, and channel strategy. Are they committed to working through partners, or are they trying to go direct?
Finally, we look at fit. Our “planets and satellites” model focuses on ensuring vendors align either within a larger ecosystem (like Fortinet and its strategic alliances) or as part of a category constellation. We don’t just add logos – we make sure the pieces fit together into logical solutions for MSPs.
Jay McCall:
Excellent. We’ve covered a lot of ground today. I want to give you both the last word. Is there anything else you’d like our audience of MSPs to know?
Andrew Warren:
I’d emphasize that cybersecurity is complex, but it’s also one of the greatest growth opportunities for MSPs. At Exclusive, we’re committed to providing the training, services, and vendor solutions that help MSPs succeed in this space.
Jason Beal:
And I’d close with this: we believe in partner empathy – putting ourselves in our partners’ shoes to understand their challenges. While some distributors are moving toward impersonal, platform-only engagement, we remain committed to white glove service with real people, real expertise, and real responsiveness.
We’re building a strong field team across the U.S. and Canada, and we’re invested in helping MSPs succeed every step of the way.
Jay McCall:
Excellent. If someone wants to learn more about Exclusive Networks, what’s the best way to reach you?
Jason Beal:
Visit us at exclusivenetworks.com and check out the North America page. You can also connect with me on LinkedIn.
Andrew Warren:
Same here – connect with me on LinkedIn as well. And of course, we’ll be at industry events like Black Hat, so come say hello.
Jay McCall:
Fantastic. Jason, Andrew, thank you both for your time today. This has been a great discussion, and I look forward to having you back on the program soon.
Jason Beal:
Thank you, Jay.
Andrew Warren:
Thank you.
