Key Takeaways:
- Combining global reach with local expertise is the secret to scaling tailored cybersecurity solutions.
- AI, automation, and digital platforms boost efficiency while adapting to regional needs.
- Local teams are empowered, using data to drive fast, customer-centric decisions.
Cybersecurity isn’t one-size-fits-all. It’s about custom-fit protection.
When managing cybersecurity on a global scale, there are many factors to consider — different laws, currencies, logistics, and compliance requirements.
But, combining local expertise with global scale is how cybersecurity specialist Exclusive Networks successfully rolled out a secure network solution (SD-WAN) across 50+ office branches across the globe.
Olivier Gil, the global VP of digital business for Exclusive Networks spoke to us about how a “local sale, global scale” strategy empowers businesses to address unique security pain points while driving growth and efficiency.
Who Is Olivier Gil?
Olivier Gil is the Global VP of Digital Business at Exclusive Networks, leading the transformation of cybersecurity distribution through data-driven strategies, AI, cloud partnerships, and digital platforms. He has a strong track record in business development, P&L management, and revenue expansion, specializing in building scalable digital sales channels. After starting his career in industrial distribution, Olivier has become a recognized leader in cybersecurity and cloud, shaping the industry’s future by leveraging data as a strategic asset and M&A initiatives and ensuring seamless integration of innovative technologies that enhance operational efficiency and revenue predictability.
Cybersecurity is always evolving, with threats, regulations, and market maturity constantly varying by region. As a result, traditional distribution models struggle to keep up, often prioritizing global efficiency or local expertise — but rarely both, Olivier points out.
“Exclusive Networks pioneered the ‘local sale, global scale’ strategy to bridge this gap, ensuring that vendors and partners benefit from our global reach while maintaining the local agility required to address regional security challenges.”
The model has redefined cybersecurity distribution, enabling vendor support with scalable go-to-market strategies, deep in-market expertise, compliance knowledge, and tailored cybersecurity solutions.
“Every market operates under distinct regulatory requirements, customer behaviors, and security needs. The strength of this model lies in its ability to navigate this diversity while maintaining a high level of operational consistency across a global footprint.”
Balancing Local Insights with Global Consistency
However, the “local sale, global scale” strategy really shines when it comes to taking on the unique challenges of a diverse cybersecurity landscape — all while remaining consistent.
The dual model navigates these complexities by maintaining a high level of operational consistency.
Teams can deliver customized solutions thanks to a combination of local market intelligence and a unified global framework — enabling them to leverage Exclusive Networks’ centralized expertise, vendor relationships, and digital infrastructure.
“This ensures that our partners and customers receive best-in-class support that aligns with both their regional security priorities and overarching business objectives,” Olivier says.
For example, when the agency helped a major global manufacturing company roll out an SD-WAN across over 50 office branches, it leveraged its Global Deal Desk — a dedicated team ensuring complex multi-country deals run smoothly.
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During this process, close collaboration between the company’s local offices, the reseller, and the technology vendor aligned transactions, logistics, and compliance with local requirements.
“This meant handling local billing, tax regulations, shipping, and services while ensuring the company had a consistent, unified security solution worldwide,” Olivier notes.
Deploying a cybersecurity solution across multiple regions comes with its fair share of challenges — local regulations, logistical hurdles, and the need for seamless coordination.
The key is striking the right balance between a centralized strategy and local execution.
In this case, a structured approach kept everything on track, ensuring compliance, smooth transactions, and a unified security framework without the usual roadblocks of a global rollout.
Driving Digital Transformation with Agility
Olivier has spent his career driving digital transformation while keeping operations agile — no easy task in an industry where both innovation and execution need to work hand in hand.
At Exclusive Networks, he focuses on integrating digital transformation into the business — whether through AI, data-driven decision-making, or automated digital platforms — to improve efficiency and drive new revenue streams.
“For example, we are integrating hyperscalers into our go-to-market strategy, enabling partners to tap into cloud marketplaces with greater speed and flexibility.
We are also advancing AI-driven demand generation and predictive analytics to improve lead qualification and market activation. These digital-first initiatives allow us to scale our operations effectively while maintaining the adaptability needed for local execution.”
It’s not all sunshine and roses though. Olivier also points out that one of the biggest challenges in a global organization is preserving the startup mindset.
That startup mindset brings a culture of entrepreneurship, speed, and innovation — a key element to driving digital transformation.
“Ensuring we maintain this agility while integrating them into a global structure is an ongoing priority.
We do this by empowering teams, encouraging experimentation, and ensuring decision-making remains close to the field, so we continue to move fast, stay customer-centric, and innovate at scale.”
Balancing Global Reach with Local Expertise
This dual model of combining global scale with local expertise has been a boon in Exclusive Networks’ partnership with cybersecurity company SentinelOne.
The partnership aims to accelerate XDR adoption across EMEA. XDR is a smart cybersecurity system that helps businesses detect, understand, and stop cyber threats across their computers, cloud services, and user accounts.
To do this, SentinelOne needed a specialized distribution partner with both the scale to drive regional expansion and the local expertise to ensure successful market adoption.
So, Exclusive Networks integrated SentinelOne’s Singularity™ XDR platform with complementary best-in-class solutions such as Netskope, Mimecast, Exabeam, and Extrahop.
“This approach allows our partners to deliver a more holistic cybersecurity strategy, offering customers unified visibility and protection across endpoints, identities, and the cloud,” Olivier says.
This dual model isn’t just about technology — it’s also about execution.
With operations spanning over 45 countries, maintaining a balance between consistency and local flexibility is how Exclusive Networks ensures seamless service delivery.
To better understand this, Olivier points out the agency’s Global Deal Desk, which was created to support customers executing multi-country cybersecurity deals.
“This team ensures that deals follow a unified global structure while working closely with local markets to guarantee compliance, adaptation, and execution tailored to regional needs.”
Beyond that, the agency’s Digital Platforms and Cloud Business help it remain locally relevant and scale globally at the same time by designing and building centralized architectures that ensure security, efficiency, and global integration.
We are now an @awscloud Partner!
— Exclusive Networks (@EXN_Networks) February 3, 2025
As an Authorised #AWS Distributor for EEA & Switzerland, plus joining the AWS DSOR program as a global distributor, we're expanding our reach & creating new opportunities for partners.
Read more: https://t.co/6fTcJgeiLk#WeAreExclusivepic.twitter.com/1YeYnHOUhf
Development teams maintain direct engagement with customers and partners in their markets, enabling the agency to remain agile, capture local demand, and drive adoption.
“At the core, we rely on digital infrastructure, standardized processes, and strong regional leadership to align operations across our 45+ countries.
However, let’s be honest — that’s always a work in progress! The key to success is continuous refinement, ensuring that while we maintain a unified strategic direction, we remain flexible enough to adapt to the ever-evolving cybersecurity landscape,” Olivier notes.
At the core of this is the ‘local sale, global scale’ strategy, which ensures that technology and operations align to support seamless integration and collaboration across both global and local teams.
Tech-Driven Agility for Global and Local Success
When it comes to technology, the same balance play between global consistency and local adaptability applies.
According to Olivier, this balance is crucial to ensuring seamless integration and collaboration across operations.
A good example, he points out, is the harmonized ERP system which standardizes core processes globally to drive operational efficiency and transparency while still allowing flexibility to meet local regulatory and business needs.
“Similarly, we are rolling out a global CRM for marketing activities, built on common processes and frameworks, but designed to let each country adapt content, campaigns, and customer engagement to fit local market dynamics.
This ensures that while we benefit from global insights and efficiencies, we remain closely connected to regional needs.”
He shares that technology is a core enabler of the ‘local sale, global scale’ strategy. Using advanced data analytics, automation, and AI-driven tools, the agency improved efficiency and accelerated decision-making across its organization.
One such tool is the AI-enhanced demand generation platform, which helps predict market trends and optimize lead qualification. This helps the sales team engage customers more effectively and prioritize high-impact opportunities.
On top of that, global digital platforms enable seamless integration across regions, which in turn allows vendors and partners to collaborate at scale.
“This combination of global infrastructure and localized execution helps us stay agile, innovate faster, and maximize the impact of our go-to-market strategy in an ever-evolving cybersecurity landscape.”
Scaling Through Communication, Data, and Empowerment
Olivier’s leadership at Exclusive Networks has been integral to scaling its global operations.
He attributes this leadership to three core principles:
Communication and alignment with a clear vision:
Every initiative, whether local or global, should contribute to long-term growth, Olivier explains:
“Achieving this alignment requires constant and transparent communication — explaining, repeating, and reinforcing the why behind our strategy.”.
“When teams truly understand the bigger picture, the how becomes much more intuitive.”
The key takeaway here: overcommunicate the vision, because clarity breeds alignment and alignment fuels execution.
Leveraging data as a strategic asset:
Data, especially first-party data, is one of the most unique and untapped assets in your arsenal, so make sure you make full use of it:
“The key is not just collecting it but enriching it with external sources, extracting insights, and most importantly, using it to drive better decisions,” Olivier says.
He also highlights AI-driven analytics as one of the best ways to turn data into actionable intelligence with minimal effort, even when data sets are imperfect or unstructured.
Empowering teams and enabling entrepreneurship:
True empowerment equals giving people the tools, authority, and confidence to make decisions locally while remaining aligned with the company’s global vision.
“The real impact happens when every team member ‘owns’ the why, internalizes it, and acts as an entrepreneur in their domain.
Technology plays a crucial role here — by building scalable digital platforms, we enhance efficiency, improve decision-making, and create new growth opportunities.”
Overall, Olivier emphasizes that success is derived from the balance between structure and flexibility. This is the core driver behind innovation at local while staying globally connected.
Add in strong priority management and you can stay focused on delivering results and creating real, measurable value.
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