Versa Networks Co-Founder: Versa Titan Offering Has Taken On A Life Of Its Own

Versa Networks' Titan service for SMB customers is a hit with partners and the SD-WAN specialist wants to 'at least double' its reseller community in 2020, Versa co-founder Kumar Mehta tells CRN.

Versa Networks in April launched Versa Titan and eight months later, the offering has taken on a life of its own, according to Versa Networks co-founder Kumar Mehta.

Versa Titan, a cloud-managed security and SD-WAN offering, is a very channel-focused service for the midmarket and small-business customers. Using Versa Titan, network management can be done through mobile clients on both Apple and Android operating systems, Mehta said.

"Our Titan service is really growing fast," Mehta told CRN.

[Related: Versa Networks CEO On Shaking Up The SD-WAN Market]

That’s because the channel was thirsty for a secure, digestible SD-WAN that could be easily sold, Mehta said. "Titan is very partner-friendly in terms of selling and using it," he said. "It combines security with SD-WAN into one offering."

In addition to Versa Titan, the company offers Versa Classic for the enterprise, both of which are being sold through the channel.

Versa, which got its start in 2012, has exceeded more than 1,000 enterprise customers and has sold more than 200,000 software licenses. The San Jose, Calif.-based provider works with about 100 service provider partners today, including CenturyLink, Comcast and NTT Communications. Versa also does a lot of its channel business through the telecom agent community through several master agents, including Avant, Intelisys and Telarus.

"The funnels are really blowing up and the deals are flowing," said Drew Lydecker, president and co-founder of Chicago-based master agent Avant, a Versa partner.

Versa Networks is the newest SD-WAN provider to join Avant's portfolio. Avant is offering both Versa Classic and Versa Titan, but Titan in particular is filling a gap for many agent partners because it's approachable, Lydecker said.

"The [myth] is that SD-WAN is simple and it's not. It takes a lot of people with the right expertise to really dial it in and get the full benefits," he said. "Titan is really the first product of its kind that offers pure simplicity and scale—it can practically set up in minutes."

While Titan caters to SMBs, it's also an option for enterprises that may not need all the bells and whistles of a complex SD-WAN offering, Lydecker said.

Partners have been instrumental in helping Versa reach more business customers, especially in the midmarket segment, Mehta said. Riding on the strength of its Titan service, one of Versa's goals for 2020 is to "at least double" the number of reseller partners it is working with today, Mehta said.

Versa is also setting up a certification program for its partners selling SD-WAN, he added.

Consolidation has impacted the SD-WAN market in recent years, with incumbent providers making acquisitions in this space. Cisco acquired Viptela in 2017 and in the same year, VMware bought VeloCloud. Versa Networks, on the other hand, has been able to stay independent.

"The acquired companies didn't have a comprehensive offering with security and SD-WAN," Mehta said. "Obviously, they have bigger distribution now, but we have our service provider and channel providers, so we haven't really seen that much of an effect in terms of our business acceleration."