Versent, 5 Pillars and Red Bear IT secure AWS's new Level 1 MSSP competency

Three Australian Amazon Web Services channel partners have secured the vendor’s new Level 1 Managed Security Services Provider (MSSP) competency.

Sydney’s 5Pillars and Melbourne based firms Versent and Red Bear IT were the three local partners out of the 27 total launch partners globally.

AWS overnight announced the new competency to allow MSSPs to make their cloud software solutions and services available in the AWS Marketplace. It also creates a baseline for managed security services that protect, monitor and respond to security events of essential AWS resources and are delivered as a fully managed service.

A CRN USA report said AWS had been piloting the new competency for one year, with all three Aussie partners involved in the process, according to a local AWS spokesperson. 

Also named as launch partners are multinational systems integrators Accenture, Atos, Capgemini, Deloitte, IBM, Leidos, PwC, Tech Mahindra and Wipro.

In a prepared statement, Versent said the competency differentiates itself as an MSSP and AWS Partner with essential 24/7 managed cloud security skillsets.

"Versent is proud to be one of the first AWS Partners to achieve AWS Level 1 MSSP Competency status,” Versent Managed Services managing director Dean Robinson said.

“Our team is dedicated to helping companies achieve their business transformation goals by leveraging the agility, breadth of services, and pace of innovation that AWS provides.”

5Pillars chief executive Lorenzo Modesto, a channel veteran who held executive roles at Bulletproof and Spirit Technology, also welcomed the recognition from AWS.

“5pillars is very proud to be one of the first AWS Partners globally to achieve AWS Level 1 MSSP Competency status,” Modesto said.

Modesto said the company was founded in 2020 and was created around the competency itself, with an internally-developed product offering that delivers automated cyber security in real time and continuous compliance with international standards.

Red Bear IT announced the news on its company blog, with managing director Doug Woodford commenting, “RedBear IT is proud to be one of the first AWS Partners to achieve AWS Level 1 MSSP Competency status.

“Our team is dedicated to helping companies enhance cloud security and reduce cyber risk by leveraging the agility, breadth of services, and pace of innovation that AWS provides.”