Cisco Systems (CSCO), as expected, is evolving the OpenDNS brand. The new branding, part of the broader Cisco Umbrella brand effort, will officially debut in November. The potential upside for partners? Cisco Umbrella for MSPs allows partners to more easily communicate that they're backed by an enterprise-class IT company.
Cisco acquired OpenDNS in 2015. Adoption of the security offering has grown rapidly -- especially among MSPs. Meanwhile, clues about Cisco's overall Umbrella branding effort began to reach the market in recent months. But Umbrella's roots actually stretch back to November 2012, when OpenDNS launched a network security product suite called Umbrella.
Now, the Umbrella branding spotlight will grow brighter. The new branding, phasing out the OpenDNS moniker, will debut November 14. Cisco is expected to inform OpenDNS partners of the brand transition today, according to Senior Product Manager Dmitriy "Dima" Kumets.
Growing the Umbrella Brand
So what's next? Keep a close eye on Cisco Partner Summit (Nov. 1-3) and ConnectWise's IT Nation (Nov. 9-11). It's a safe bet Cisco Umbrella for MSPs will have a strong presence at the partner summit. Channel Chief Wendy Bahr earlier this year mentioned "security, security, security" as the company's top partner priority. Updates surely are coming.
One week after Cisco's own conference, I suspect the networking giant will emphasize Umbrella for MSP branding at IT Nation, the annual ConnectWise gathering of IT service providers.
