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Difenda Build is Celebrating One Year of New Partner Relationships

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Difenda Build Partner Program

2022 was a big year for Difenda in many ways. At the beginning of the year, we launched Difenda Build, our channel partner program, with the goal of supporting more customers, providing continued value to our current partners, and extending the power of the Difenda Shield to new resellers. 

With the support of Difenda and all our amazing partners, we have been able to accomplish just that. 

As service providers and resellers collectively strive to deliver the highest caliber of security services to their customers, Difenda has been able to support our partners with flexibility and customization opportunities so they can create more win-win-win opportunities.  

Since then, we have grown in staff, agency partners, and connections. This past year was filled with hard work and dedication by so many different members of the Difenda Build team and we succeeded in so many ways. 

Below are just a few of the accomplishments we’ve been able to achieve. 

Incredible Growth

Despite many challenges along the way, Difenda Build experienced immense growth in 2022.  

While we still have many goals to be achieved, we are proud to say that we have seen 400% growth in our partner channel since this time last year. But that’s not all:   

  • Our internal partner team grew three times the size 
  • We are now able to reach thousands more customers  
  • Our pipeline is now 25-30% from channel partners

“We are so thankful for the incredible partner relationships we have been able to create over the past year,” says Juliana Zaremba, Director of Strategic Partnerships at Difenda. “Our channel partners are key to our growth strategy and building a better Microsoft Security experience for our customers. As a team, we are thrilled to see this incredible growth and are excited to continue to develop as we bring change to the business and to the cybersecurity industry.” 

We owe our success to the initiatives that helped us not only gain industry awareness and start new conversations but also by consistently up-skilling our partner teams on Difenda initiatives to combat today’s toughest cybersecurity challenges.  

Launch of the Build Partner Resource Center

We collaborate with our partners to reach a common goal: protecting people, processes, and technology. We know that this means more than signing a partnership agreement.  

We’re committed to our partners’ success, which is why we’ve developed a dedicated resource center housing the latest updates, partner readiness materials, and marketing campaigns to help streamline the sales process and take business to the next level. 

After years of hearing service agencies struggle with finding outcome-driven security services that make the sales process easy, Difenda now offers a streamlined, 5 stage approach to sales where we take on the heavy lifting. The resource center is just one way we make our partners’ lives easier.  

Build Partner Program Resource Center

Current Partners Can Visit the Resource Center Here.

Discover more about some of Difenda’s current partners here.

Providing More Value with Partner Events

In our quest to help our partners meet their business goals and support our joint customers to do more with less, we have participated in some partner-led events throughout 2022.  

These events are designed to provide more value to customers as they move through their cybersecurity journey.

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Difenda also drove countless private events with partners and customers throughout the year.

The First Build Partner Champion

As we roll into 2023, we are always striving to create an amazing experience for our partners. To show our appreciation for the support and trust our partner representatives display by bringing clients into our ecosystem, we have created the Build Partner Champion program. 

The Build Partner Champion is a monthly award that recognizes and celebrates partners who share Difenda values and go above and beyond to create amazing security solutions for our joint customers.  

The award recognizes a partner team member who has made a tremendous impact on our joint customers. This partner’s hard work and dedication to Difenda solutions and our partnership push our business forward and continue to create great outcomes for our customers.  

This month we announced our inaugural Build Partner Champion, Jordan Herman of Softchoice. Jordan has continuously shown us the value of determination and collaboration. As a long-standing Softchoice representative and Difenda supporter, Jordan has pushed the needle for Difenda when it comes to providing end-to-end Microsoft services for his customers.

When selecting Jordan, it was important for us to know what drives him to continuously think Difenda when it comes to Microsoft Security services. To Jordan, one thing is always clear: Difenda Delivers. He was never disappointed when it came to our services and his ability to later find more value for customers in their Microsoft Security and Difenda investments through other services and support.  

Learn more about how Difenda makes it easy for our partners to win in the video below.  

Building Momentum to Accelerate Growth in 2023 

Looking back, it’s incredible to see what we have been able to achieve with Difenda Build in only one year.  

Expanding Difenda’s offering through partner channels allows us to continuously meet the needs of customers’ evolving security requirements. In the creation of the Build Partner Program Difenda committed to partnering only with organizations that align with our goals. This means our partner program is built on helping customers increase security posture, optimize tools to do more with less, and maximize Microsoft Security investments.  

As we continue to expand and develop more partner relationships, we hope to continue to provide a seamless sales process for our partners. In effect, protecting our customer’s businesses with industry-leading cybersecurity technology and expertise.   

Thank you to everyone involved in helping us achieve these accomplishments. We can’t wait to see what we can accomplish together in 2023.

Join the Build Partner Program

Difenda provides cybersecurity services to our partners to help drive security solutions maximizing Microsoft Security Technology investments. This helps extend the overall outcomes customers are looking for in a Managed Security Services Partner. 

As soon as you partner with Difenda, you gain a host of benefits that help you develop and market security solution services. 

Learn more about the benefits of being a Difenda Build partner and our sales process in the video below. 

Register to Become a Difenda Build Partner Here.

Discover more about some of Difenda’s current partners here.

Our Partners
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Ken Perkins

Biography coming soon.

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Megan Miller

Megan Miller’s energy and passion for learning flow into all aspects of her work. As the Growth Manager, North America, she brings a background in sciences which she has transitioned to the tech sector in her role at Difenda.

With a Bachelors of Science in Geology, Megan is a lifelong learner who is voracious about learning anything she can get her hands on about cybersecurity. Her positive energy has built a sales strategy with a focus on expanding in the United States while nurturing the Canadian presence. She is responsible for recruiting and training the sales team. Together with the company’s leadership, she creates the sales process and the company’s product strategy in order to better serve the customer base. This ensures that our customers have a highly trained and highly motivated team to help them every step of the way, Megan has completed Microsoft SC-900 training and working towards mastering Microsoft.

Whether at work or play, Megan is fully committed. She took her love of hockey all the way to the semi-professional level as a competitive hockey player. Megan loves all things sports including water skiing, scuba diving, cycling, and snowboarding. She also enjoys time with family and reading about alternative energy, innovation, and cybersecurity.

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Natasha Phanor

As the Microsoft Partner Manager at Difenda, Natasha Phanor is responsible for driving growth within our Microsoft Partnership. With six years in the industry, she offers a fresh, energetic approach, and the ability to focus on our customer’s needs throughout the entire process. Natasha has the innate ability to foresee customer needs and solve problems before they arise, which creates a smooth road for each customer she encounters.

As the recipient of the Outstanding Services Partner of the Year Award in 2018, it is clear that Natasha responds quickly to customer needs, creates a platform for understanding a customer’s business requirements, and walks them through the process to ensure their complete satisfaction.

In her spare time, Natasha is as energetic and passionate as she is on the job. A self-proclaimed foodie-extraordinaire, she enjoys dinner parties, traveling, downhill skiing, hiking, biking, and reading. Natasha has a Bachelor of Fine Arts, specializing in Dance, from Ryerson University.

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Ian Miersch

Ian Miersch has energy to spare, and uses his eclectic background to make a positive mark on the cybersecurity industry. As Vice President of Finance & Human Resources, Ian Miersch is responsible for overseeing scalable business growth as Difenda expands throughout North America. But it is the way he does it that sets him apart. By leveraging his engineering background and critical thinking skills, he has been able to develop unique strategies that balance the company’s current business needs with its long-term growth plans. And the results of his unique background and drive mean that the company is growing in a fiscally responsible manner, all with the customer’s needs at the forefront.

With a Bachelor’s of Mechanical Engineering, coupled with an MBA in Finance, both from McMaster University, Ian’s ability to analyze data and make informed decisions is augmented by his ability to understand all facets of the business. He has a holistic understanding of the craft, from operations to project delivery and management, to his niche in financial planning. Ian’s ten years of experience in the industry mean that he has seen it all, and knows how to create a dynamic team and manage the resources needed for success.

Outside of work, he uses his energy to help others through the Big Brothers and Big Sisters Program, earning the Group Recreation Volunteer of the Year Status.

Ian also enjoys exploring and hiking with his three young children, exercising (so he can keep up with them), and reading professional development books. He is an avid but generally heartbroken fan of the Toronto sports teams, including the Blue Jays, Maple Leafs, and Raptors.

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Derek Nugent

Derek Nugent, Vice President, Revenue lives by the motto “Be early, be better.” Derek leads our Revenue team and is responsible for the customer’s journey with Difenda. His high energy level and creativity have built high performing teams, whether at the Herjavec Group, CDW, or in his current leadership role at Difenda.

After earning a Bachelor Administration and Management degree from the Academy of Learning, Derek started in the information technology industry in 2004 and transitioned to the cybersecurity industry in 2014. With so much experience in a wide-variety of roles, he is poised to take the team at Difenda to the next level.

He excels at leading revenue strategies, new market entry, partnership engagement, and customer acquisition and retention. His work ethic and interest in rising to the top motivate his sales teams, who respond well to his passion and zeal. Under his tutelage, they are able to achieve attractive lead generation, YOY growth, and sizable deals. Derek works tirelessly to build a better team, and his constituents follow his road to success, which ultimately leads to a rewarding experience for the customer.

Even when volunteering, Derek is all in. He was a volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters from 2005-2015, earning Group Recreation Volunteer of the Year Status.

And when he isn’t busy leading the team to the acme of sales, he enjoys spending time with his wife and two kids, running, working out, watching thrillers, action and dramatic television shows

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Manoj Arora

Manoj Arora, Difenda’s Founder and CEO has always been ahead of the curve in Technology and Cyber Security. After securing his engineering degree in Computer Science, he wrote his first mobile banking application when he was just 23 years old. This accomplishment certainly set him apart from the crowd and prepared him for a lifetime of innovation and success in his field. At just 25 years old, he was selected as the youngest Cyber Security Officer for one of the largest banks in Asia.

As a globetrotting young cyber security professional, Manoj was instrumental in designing cyber security infrastructure and controls for some of the largest institutions around the world. Depth of his expertise and passion to serve customers at the highest level of competence and integrity lead to Difenda. Founded in 2008, Difenda is a rapidly growing cybersecurity firm operating in North America and Asia.

As the CEO at Difenda, Manoj drives the strategic vision to protect our customers and enable our team members to deliver our services in line with core values- competence, integrity, and innovation. Currently one of Microsoft’s leading North American partners, Difenda reflects Manoj’ single-minded focus on our customers. Difenda is fully vested in success of its customers and takes pride in considering our success as a byproduct of our customers. Manoj has always been committed to building a great team and forging strong partnerships to serve our customers with standards that top our industry.

When he is not busy bringing cybersecurity to the world, Manoj enjoys playing golf and squash, and continues to travel the world.

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Lisa Templeton

Lisa Templeton is the perfect combination of human empathy and technological prowess. In her role as People Services Manager, she takes care of our team members to support them in their daily work, as well as on their personal life paths. Happy employees make for happy customers, and Lisa excels in giving our employees the tools they need for success in order to become the best possible versions of themselves. Along with employee formation, she shines in the service delivery support domain to continuously improve the process. Her 24 years of experience in IT Operations and Service Management help her create quality and efficiency at Difenda.

Having attended the Information Systems Management certificate program at Ryerson University, and with various other certifications to her credit, Lisa is perceptive and innovative when it comes to information technology, but also sensitive to the needs of her human constituents. Responsible for achieving the first privately owned company HDI Support Center certification in Canada, she has also designed and implemented Service Management excellence programs and 24×7 IT Operations departments for multiple IT organizations, and has created corporate rewards and recognition programs to keep her employees engaged and motivated.

On the personal side, Lisa passionately supports the cause of breast cancer research, having lost her mother to the disease. She reads voraciously in her spare time, and enjoys the art of home renovation. The summer months also bring time on her boat and exploring new hiking trails.

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Miranda McCurdy

Miranda McCurdy uses her myriad super powers in all aspects of her job and personal life. As the Marketing Director at Difenda, Miranda McCurdy brings over a decade of experience to the table, which includes expertise in all facets of operations, brand management, and content marketing, as well as a multitude of successful strategies for the ever-expanding digital world. She is an expert at simplifying the message the company is trying to send, filling in gaps in the information, and strengthening the content in order to create compelling narratives that strengthen the brand and developing programs that bring teams together.

With several Addy Awards issued by the American Advertising Federation Cleveland to her credit, and her never say die attitude, Miranda understands both the broader picture and the minute details that are needed to successfully market a product. With her abilities to harness both the talent needed to spread the message, as well as to create the message itself, she is an integral cog in the company’s ability to communicate with customers and other stakeholders.

When she is not building a brand, she shares her ability to fill the gaps in her community by volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, the Special Olympics, and the Charleston Food Bank. In her spare time, Miranda spends time with her family, enjoys fitness and health, paddle boarding, reading, and arts and crafts.

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Juliana Zaremba

Connections are the name of the game for Juliana Zaremba. As Strategic Partnerships Director, she is responsible for Difenda’s channel partnerships and the development and ownership of the channel partner program. She is also responsible for the global Microsoft Partnership, including the creation of strategic plans with MSFT contacts that will facilitate the continued growth of the business and establish certification and training protocols in all security technologies. Her role is multifaceted, as she acquires partners, manages relationships with them, and develops strategies that will provide cutting edge security solutions to our customer base. Another integral aspect of her job is to facilitate growth.

With a Bachelor’s in Math from the University of Waterloo and 14 years of experience from her previous roles at Herjavec Group and CDW, her cutting edge focus and ability to develop long-lasting relationships and strategies provides world class security solutions to our customer base.

Juliana thrives on connections outside of work as well. She is a philanthropist and contributor with Women4Change based in Hamilton. This group of local women is passionate about supporting local causes, and she focuses her efforts around Women in STEM. She is also a member of Club Italia in Niagara Falls and supports their youth events throughout the year.

When not managing the Microsoft Global partnership, Juliana enjoys reading, often reading several books at once. Juliana enjoys exploring the Niagara Escarpment with her family, as well as sharing meals and experiences with her extended family. Juliana’s competitive nature has her always trying new things, like Whoop band challenges and Peloton.

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Jeffry Jacob

Biography Coming Soon

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