Strategic expansion brings 40+ years of global distribution expertise, local leadership, and enhanced cybersecurity capabilities to South African partners

Partnership with Sophos in South Africa builds on successful relationship already established in North America

Johannesburg, South Africa, May 5, 2026 – Climb Channel Solutions, (“Climb”) an international specialty technology distributor and wholly owned subsidiary of Climb Global Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: CLMB), today announced its expansion into South Africa as part of its continued EMEA growth strategy. With more than 40 years of experience in specialist IT distribution, Climb brings a proven track record of delivering growth for vendors and partners globally to South Africa with a new local operation supported by an experienced in-country team to serve partners across the region. 

Alongside its market entry, Climb has signed a distribution partnership with Sophos, a global leader of innovative security solutions, bringing its full portfolio of security solutions to South African resellers and managed service providers (MSPs). The partnership builds on the successful relationship between Climb and Sophos that was first established in North America.  

This move marks the next step in Climb’s EMEA expansion strategy, and follows successful moves into the UK, DACH, Ireland and Southeastern Europe. Climb’s South African operation, which will all be Sophos sales certified, is led by Andrew Potgieter, Sales Director South Africa, who brings deep regional expertise and will spearhead the company’s partner-first approach in the market. This combination of local leadership with the backing of an established international organisation offers partners and vendors the confidence of working with a distributor known for its speed to market. operational depth, consistency, and long-term market commitment. 

Climb’s partnership with Sophos introduces new opportunities for South African partners to address a rapidly evolving threat landscape. Sophos supports more than 600,000 organisations globally with its industry-leading managed detection and response (MDR) alongside a comprehensive portfolio of cybersecurity technologies, which includes endpoint, network, email, and cloud security, extended detection and response (XDR), identity threat detection and response (ITDR), and next-gen SIEM.  

The partnership comes at a time of increasing cybersecurity urgency in South Africa. According to the Sophos State of Ransomware 2025 report, South African organisations face an escalating crisis, with 71% of surveyed firms paying ransoms, which is a sharp increase from 43% in 2024. This data highlights the need for advanced, integrated security solutions and trusted partner support. 

Dale Foster, CEO, Climb said: “South Africa represents a key strategic market in our EMEA growth journey. Our investment in local talent and infrastructure reflects our long-term commitment to the region and to empowering partners with the tools, expertise, and support they need to succeed. To enter the region with a partner of the calibre of Sophos demonstrates our clear intention: to deliver the best technology to partners in South Africa and to help them grow.” 

Andrew Potgieter, Sales Director South Africa, Climb commented: “We are excited to bring Climb’s proven distribution model to South Africa. Our focus is on building strong, trusted relationships with partners and helping them accelerate growth through enablement, responsiveness, and access to leading technologies like Sophos. By establishing a permanent local presence from day one, Climb aims to bring stability, choice, and international perspective to the South African cybersecurity ecosystem, supporting partners as customer requirements become increasingly complex and globally connected. This is just the beginning for Climb in South Africa – in the coming weeks we’ll be announcing our bespoke AI program for partners, which is designed to take partners from AI curiosity to full-scale success.” 

John Mitchell, Director of Channels EMEA North, Sophos said: “We are pleased to expand our relationship with Climb into South Africa. Their strong channel focus and commitment to partner enablement make them an ideal distributor to help scale our presence and support partners in delivering best-in-class cybersecurity solutions. Our relationship with Climb has been built over many years, and we are excited for this new phase of global expansion.” 

Pieter Nel, Regional Head, SADC, Sophos said: “This partnership with Climb strengthens how we serve South African organisations, extending access to Sophos’ AI-driven platform and deep threat intelligence insights. Together, we can deliver integrated prevention, detection, and response that can grow with customers, from mid-market to the largest environments, as threats continue to accelerate.”

Resellers and MSPs in South Africa are invited to explore partnership opportunities with Climb and join upcoming enablement sessions, including a dedicated partner launch webinar. To register an interest, click here. 

For more information about Climb’s South Africa presence, visit https://www.climbcs.com/za   

ENDS 

About Climb Channel Solutions and Climb Global Solutions 

Climb Channel Solutions is a global specialty technology distributor focusing on Security, Artificial Intelligence, Data Management, Connectivity, Storage & HCI, Virtualisation & Cloud, and Software Application & Lifecycle. What sets Climb apart is our commitment to transform distribution by providing emerging and established IT technologies, flexible financing, real-time quoting, best of breed channel operations, speed to market, and exceptional service to our partners worldwide. Climb Channel Solutions is a wholly owned subsidiary of Climb Global Solutions (NASDAQ: CLMB). Experience the Climb difference and learn how our people-first approach empowers VARs and MSPs to grow, scale, and accelerate their business. 

About Sophos 

Sophos is a cybersecurity leader defending 600,000 organizations globally with an AI-driven platform and expert-led services. Sophos meets organizations wherever they are in their security maturity and grows with them to defeat cyberattacks. Its solutions combine machine learning, automation, and real-time threat intelligence with frontline human expertise from Sophos X-Ops to deliver advanced, 24/7 threat monitoring, detection, and response. 

Sophos offers industry-leading managed detection and response (MDR) alongside a comprehensive portfolio of cybersecurity technologies — including endpoint, network, email, and cloud security, extended detection and response (XDR), identity threat detection and response (ITDR), and next-gen SIEM. Together with expert advisory services, these capabilities help organizations proactively reduce risk and respond faster, with the visibility and scalability needed to stay ahead of evolving threats. 

Sophos goes to market with a global partner ecosystem, including Managed Service Providers (MSPs), Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs), resellers and distributors, marketplace integrations, and cyber risk partners, giving organizations the flexibility to choose trusted relationships when securing their business. Sophos is headquartered in Oxford, U.K. More information is available at www.sophos.com