Channel Chief Joe Lohmeier says the new NinjaOne Now program ‘prioritizes partner advancement’ as the company aims to accelerate its growth in cybersecurity.

NinjaOne on Thursday announced its first formal channel program as the company looks to move into a new phase of growth through partners, including with a greater focus on cybersecurity, according to Channel Chief Joe Lohmeier.

The new NinjaOne Now program comes as the the vendor is aiming to accelerate its growth in security in part through working with a greater number of VARs in addition to the company’s longtime base of MSP partners, said Lohmeier (pictured), vice president of worldwide channel sales at NinjaOne.

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“I think it’s the right time” for NinjaOne to add more structure to its partner efforts through the new program, Lohmeier said. The program launch comes a little over a year after he joined the vendor as its first global channel chief, following channel executive roles at companies including VMware and Cisco Systems.

The new program “prioritizes partner advancement” and incentivizes the sale of products beyond its core offerings, he said. In recent years, Lohmeier said, NinjaOne has gone from “an MSP-only product to a true platform for MSPs and value-added resellers,” the latter of which will be a major focus of the new program.

Founded in 2013 as NinjaRMM, the company rebranded as NinjaOne in 2021 as its focus expanded beyond remote monitoring and management.

The vendor’s portfolio now includes endpoint security, endpoint and patch management, data protection and other security capabilities as part of its platform. Third-party integrations, including with major cybersecurity players, has also been an increasing focus, Lohmeier noted.

Brian McGrath, vice president of commercial and SMB sales at Somerset, N.J.-based SHI, told CRN that the new NinjaOne partner program is a sign of the growing opportunities with the vendor.

“It certainly shows a commitment to the partner,” McGrath said. “It shows that NinjaOne is somebody that is going to support you throughout your journey.”

Ultimately, “it’s prioritizing the partner,” he said of the new program.

The NinjaOne Now program includes a new partner portal, deal registration, training and enablement and other benefits. In terms of incentives, the program provides the same level of margin to partners for renewal opportunities as for new business, Lohmeier said.

The program launch comes after NinjaOne announced raising $231.5 million in funding in February. The Series C round was led by Iconiq Growth, and NinjaOne achieved a valuation of $1.9 billion in connection with the funding.