Westcon-Comstor adds Cato to AWS Marketplace programme
Westcon-Comstor has added Cato Networks to its AWS Marketplace programme, extending the distributor's cloud marketplace offering across key markets in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Cato joins a programme launched in 2024 to help channel partners sell through AWS Marketplace under the AWS Designated Seller of Record model. Since launch, the scheme has generated more than 100 deals worth tens of millions of dollars in total.
The addition follows a distribution agreement the companies signed last November. Under the programme, partners can buy Cato software products from Westcon-Comstor through private listings and then sell directly to customers in AWS Marketplace.
The programme includes multi-currency support and can accommodate multi-product solutions, allowing partners to combine products and services for specific industries and customer needs. It also offers guidance, enablement and advisory services through an internal team focused on AWS Marketplace activity.
The arrangement reflects a broader shift in how software and cloud-related services are bought through hyperscaler marketplaces. For distributors and vendors, the model provides access to customer cloud budgets already committed to providers such as AWS.
That is particularly relevant for security suppliers such as Cato, which sells Secure Access Service Edge products, combining networking and security functions in a cloud-delivered model. Partners in the programme can use AWS Marketplace transactions to align sales with customers' existing AWS spending commitments.
Marketplace Push
Westcon-Comstor has been expanding its AWS-related business beyond traditional fulfilment by combining marketplace execution with the distribution of AWS solutions and related consulting services. The aim is to simplify procurement for partners while helping them build cloud-focused offers for customers.
Industry forecasts point to a larger role for the channel in that market. Westcon-Comstor cited Omdia estimates that the IT channel will facilitate 59% of the projected USD $163 billion in hyperscaler cloud marketplace spending in 2030.
For Cato, the tie-up adds another route to market in EMEA through a distributor with established cloud marketplace operations. For Westcon-Comstor, it brings a well-known security networking supplier into a programme it is using to deepen partner engagement in AWS Marketplace.
Daniel Hurel, Senior Vice President, Westcon EMEA Go-To-Market at Westcon-Comstor, said adding Cato strengthens the commercial case it can offer partners using the platform.
"Welcoming Cato Networks into our AWS Marketplace programme further strengthens the commercial proposition we offer. Partners want faster routes to revenue and buying models that match how customers fund cloud programmes. Enabling Cato procurement through AWS Marketplace helps partners shorten sales cycles and align with committed cloud spend while scaling adoption of a channel-friendly SASE platform that meets real customer demand," said Hurel.
Cato said the agreement will widen partner delivery options and help customers use existing AWS commitments in procurement.
"We look forward to collaborating with Westcon-Comstor and leverage their market-leading AWS Marketplace programme to expand how partners deliver the Cato SASE Platform to customers. By combining Westcon's global partner ecosystem with AWS Marketplace, we are making it easier for customers to leverage existing AWS commitments to adopt the Cato SASE Platform. This collaboration simplifies procurement while enabling partners to deliver Cato's AI-driven security and networking capabilities through a scalable marketplace model," said Soderlund.