Cloud analytics firm to Birst into UK channel

Vendor hopes to swell its partner ranks across Europe

Data analytics firm Birst is hoping to double in size with the help of its channel in the next year, as it declares market conditions are finally perfect for its rapid expansion.

The US-headquartered firm was established about nine years ago and currently has around 215 staff and 80 partners across 30 countries. Half of its global business goes through its network of partners, but in Europe and the UK, that figure rises to nearer 75 per cent.

The firm has signed up about 10 new partners in the UK in the last year, including Alto Intelligence, CloudSherpas, Praesto Consulting and Acuma.

Southard Jones, Birst's vice president for product marketing, said new partner signings are a priority, but added that quality is more important than quantity.

"We're less interested in working with – but do partner with – some of the big guys, but our goal is to find the partners who are built into the geography or industry that can help our customers get results quickly," he said. "We're looking for partners with existing relationships with customers already and are looking at new technology."

Jones admitted that when the firm was first founded, it had concerns that it was ahead of the times and that the market was not ready for its products.

But in recent years, the big data market has exploded, with analysts predicting billions of devices will be connected to the internet in the coming years.

He said an element of luck has helped the firm grow.

"Brad Peters, our founder and chief product officer, will claim that he has incredible foresight and then laugh and joke and say ‘and luck!'," he said.

"Brad is definitely a product visionary but initially when we built the product out we thought ‘uh-oh, the market isn't here' but now it is.

"I think it is a little bit of luck but also the reality that more and more folks recognise that companies that leverage data can perform better than the others. Everyone is looking for a competitive advantage these days."