The Associate Advantage: Building Bridges Between PANW and WWT

Explore the transformative collaboration between Palo Alto Networks and WWT Associate Academy, highlighting seamless teamwork, strategic insights, and mutual growth. Through engaging sessions, associates showcased talents, built connections, and discovered new opportunities, embodying the power of collaboration and shared learning.

Being early-in-career is such a unique time. You just graduated college or just started your first job and expectations for what the next few years entail are boundless. Some folks get married, some move out of the country, some start their own company, some run a marathon…the possibilities are endless. But the buzz of the unknown is the same. And the hunger to learn more is insatiable.

These are the exact feelings I felt 4 years ago when I was lucky enough to be a part of the Systems Engineering Academy at Palo Alto Networks (PANW). A program that invested a year of teaching and support to accelerate my career into sales engineering, and a program I personally rated so highly that I came back to be a leader.

When I saw the WWT Associate Academy engage with the PANW Academy (something I even participated in during my time in the program), I was excited to see the work they would be doing. Better together.

We had 3 sessions together over the course of a couple months. The sellers and engineers in the WWT Associate Academy , including the sales engineers in the PANW Academy. All early-in-career. All eager to learn and teach.

The collaboration between our teams was seamless; no intervention was needed. From the start, the energy was high. Our first session kicked off with an engaging introduction to both companies, led by associates who owned the overview and set the stage for meaningful connections. We launched interactive breakout rooms where each side showcased their unique capabilities, sparking curiosity and dialogue.

That momentum carried into our second meeting, where associates led deeper discussions, exploring each organization's strengths and strategic offerings. PANW discovered the unmatched value of WWT's Advanced Technology Center and our integrated portfolio, while WWT gained insight into PANW's platformization strategy as the gold standard for cybersecurity, complete with a live demo of the next-generation firewall.

We closed strong with Jon Hayot, one of our technical solution managers, delivering practical tools for building client trust and uncovering new opportunities. Empowering both teams to drive impact.

Companies aside, it is clear that talent recognizes talent. Each associate took these sessions seriously and prepped accordingly. They wanted to showcase not only their abilities but also their company in a good light as well.

After exchanging LinkedIns of course, the associates left with a lasting impression of how to work better together!