Partner Spotlight: Axial Systems and Gigamon Deliver Performance, Security, and IT Solutions

For more than 30 years, UK-based Axial Systems has helped a variety of customers, from blue-chip financial institutions to legal firms to wired and wireless service providers, overcome a wide range of technology and business challenges.

We spoke with Axial CEO Tony English to learn more about how Axial’s partnership with Gigamon is helping provide customers with security, automation, and visibility solutions for the IT and datacenter environments.

Together, Gigamon and Axial offer high-performance solutions and support services that give customers a competitive advantage.

Gigamon: Who is Axial and what is the company’s history?

Tony: Axial Systems helps our customers solve strategic IT challenges through the successful delivery and ongoing support of new technologies and related services. We are a leading provider of highly innovative technology, delivering visibility, control and management, security, and data solutions across any environment.

Gigamon: What does your company name stand for?

Tony: The name originates from the coaxial cable connector part of the very first networking adapter. Our “pip” logo is still symbolic of the connector.

Gigamon: Describe your company culture. What makes you tick?

Tony: Our business is based on relationships with our customers and vendor partners. We go to great lengths to understand our customers, their environments, and their priorities.

Gigamon: When and how did you become a Gigamon partner?

Tony: We originally met with Gigamon in 2005 at Interop’s Startup City in the U.S. We then brought them to the U.K. as the first U.K. reseller, working heavily with the financial services and insurance markets.

Gigamon: If you had to describe Gigamon with just one word, what would it be?

Tony: It’s difficult to describe such a business in one word. If I could choose two words, they would be “visibility” and “transformation.”

Gigamon: What are some of your market’s challenges when it comes to network security and visibility?

Tony: Our clients typically have networking and security challenges resulting from legacy environments, digital transformation objectives, or the pressing need to address cybersecurity or compliance-driven concerns.

Gigamon: Which Gigamon features stand out the most and make the product outstrip its competitors?

Tony: I think the GigaSMART® features and filtering provide a really competitive advantage.

Gigamon: How do you see Axial and Gigamon working together to solve your customers’ problems?

Tony: Gigamon is a key element of our overall solutions portfolio, with the visibility layer being fundamental to our offerings. Axial is proactive without being too forward, and we go the extra mile. With Gigamon, we are able to suggest technologies and solutions to address business issues that would usually not be considered. We have an open, flexible, and collaborative relationship with Gigamon, and a great sense of trust between the two parties has been key to the success of the whole project.

Gigamon: Where do you see the trends in network security and visibility in three years’ time?

Tony: I think the trends we will be seeing are automation, integration, multi-cloud, SaaS, IaaS, PaaS, Zero Trust, and deep observability.

Gigamon: What is the most memorable moment associated with Gigamon as a partner?

Tony: For me, it was Axial winning the Gigamon Channel Partner of the Year award. That was in 2019 in Los Angeles.

Gigamon: What are the wow moments associated with Gigamon?

Tony: We have had many “wow” moments, but with the opportunities we have now, I think the best is yet to come.

Gigamon: What are some of the new challenges you see in the market that your partnership with Gigamon can solve?

Tony: I think it goes back to cloud visibility, integration, and deep observability. These are some of the challenges Gigamon can help us solve for customers. Our partnership with Gigamon gives us end-to-end capabilities and allows customers to achieve a flexible outcome.

Gigamon: What are the positive business outcomes as a Gigamon partner?

Tony: Increased confidence in the customer security posture and peace of mind.

Gigamon: What are some of the benefits of the Gigamon Partner Program that stand out? Training? Incentives? Discounts? Co-marketing?

Tony: The Gigamon Partner Portal is easy to use and training is good. Ongoing demand generation with Gigamon’s Julie Long creates market awareness and sales opportunities, and the out-of-the-box marketing campaigns are very effective.

Gigamon: Thank you, Tony, for making time for us and for being such a wonderful partner.