Westcon-Comstor's 3D Lab, a virtual testing environment for multi-vendor cybersecurity solutions, has attracted more than 1,500 users and generated over US$25 million in new business for its cybersecurity partners since its inception a year ago.

Established in response to shifts in end-user requirements and purchasing behaviour, the 3D Lab provides a platform for Westcon-Comstor's partners and their clients to explore various combinations of cybersecurity solutions from CrowdStrike, Zscaler and Palo Alto Networks before they commit to purchasing and implementing them.

The platform offers an opportunity to trial concepts against specific use cases within a secure cloud environment, facilitating knowledge enhancement on new technologies. It enables users to explore comprehensive solutions covering data protection, cloud security, zero-trust access, ransomware protection, and other areas.

The lab has seen 24 use cases experienced by more than 1,500 users across 27 different environments, with half of those environments illustrating the benefits of multi-vendor integrations, including a zero-trust application combining CrowdStrike, Okta and Zscaler.

Most of the platform's use has been driven by substantial interest in cloud security solutions. For instance, CrowdStrike's Cloud-Native Application Protection Platform (CNAPP) has proven one of the most sought-after demos in the 3D Lab. More than 500 of the 1,500 registered 3D Lab users hail from CrowdStrike partners, and more labs have been set up for CrowdStrike than any other vendor.

The US$25 million generated in new business across solutions by 12 vendors signifies deals that were confirmed following 3D Lab demonstrations. Consequently, the total pipeline generated for partners in terms of new business opportunities stands at US$100 million.

Daniel Hurel, Vice President of Cyber Security & Next Gen Solutions EMEA at Westcon-Comstor, said, "We created 3D Lab to enable partners to respond to the rise of the all-in-one cybersecurity platform and end-users growing demand for multi-vendor solutions."

Hurel continued, "It's pleasing to see such strong uptake during the first year, and we're confident that this will continue to accelerate as 3D Lab becomes an increasingly important cog in our value-add offer to both partners and vendors."

Westcon-Comstor is a global technology provider and specialist distributor, operating in more than 70 countries. It aims to deliver business value and opportunity by connecting leading IT vendors with a channel of technology resellers, systems integrators and service providers. It combines industry insight, technical know-how and more than 30 years of distribution experience to deliver value and accelerate vendor and partner business success.