Cybersecurity Customer Success In 2025

How Customer Success Drives Cybersecurity Revenue – Insights from Security Revenue LIVE

The cybersecurity market is more competitive than ever, with companies racing to innovate against new threats and shifting buyer expectations. When it comes to scaling and differentiating in this crowded landscape, most go-to-market (GTM) leaders focus on sales, marketing, or product innovation. But as this episode of Security Revenue LIVE revealed, Customer Success (CS) may be the hidden engine powering long-term growth and customer advocacy.

In this discussion, Joy Aaring, David Tirazona, and Julie Giannini joined Taylor Wells to unpack how world-class CS programs drive retention, expansion, and recurring revenue in cybersecurity.

Here are the biggest takeaways for cybersecurity founders, GTM leaders, and customer success professionals.

Why Customer Success Is the Connective Tissue of Cybersecurity GTM

Ask any CS leader to define their role and you’ll hear many answers.

As Joy put it, “CS is really the connective tissue. We’re the representatives of the customer within the organization.”

Gone are the days when CS simply onboarded customers and handled tickets. In cybersecurity, customer needs evolve fast, and CS now translates field insights into product improvements, revenue opportunities, and company strategy.

David added that modern GTM success relies on predictable revenue growth, with 40% of new revenue often coming from existing customers. Some companies even generate $100M+ from this channel alone.

CS is no longer a cost center — it’s every bit as critical as sales and marketing.

Sales Opens the Door, CS Expands the Room

Joy summed it up perfectly: “Sales opens the door, and CS expands the room.”

In cybersecurity, the real growth happens after the initial deal closes.

Julie Giannini agreed: “We’re really the next sales team. If everything we do delivers value, that customer is getting ready not only to renew but to buy again.”

Retention and expansion come from a relentless focus on customer outcomes, continuous learning, and transparent collaboration across teams.

Tactical Plays for Modern CS

Growth depends on execution. The panel shared several strategies used by top-performing CS teams.

1. Accelerate Time to Value

Cybersecurity leaders once planned for value realization over six to nine months. Now, the window is closer to 90–120 days.

Programs that shorten this timeline — through streamlined onboarding, clear success metrics, and defined use-case playbooks — deliver faster wins.

Bringing CS into deals before they close also makes a difference. David explained that early involvement (around 70–75% of the sales cycle) helps teams align on goals, stakeholders, and success criteria upfront.

2. Move from “Success Plans” to “Vision Plans”

Joy described evolving from basic success plans to customer vision plans — tools that focus on understanding the business drivers behind every stakeholder, from operators to CISOs and CTOs.

Julie shared an example from Egnyte. When introducing Protect, a security and governance product, her team guided CIOs and CISOs through a thoughtful journey that led to major upsells. The biggest wins came from long-term engagement and trust.

Advocacy: The Hidden Growth Multiplier

Word of mouth is one of the most powerful — and underused — levers in cybersecurity growth.

“Advocacy starts when the customer feels seen and celebrated,” Joy said. That means recognizing milestones, building relationship capital, and showing up consistently before and after purchase.

Julie noted that many security leaders are cautious about revealing their tech stacks. That requires creativity: anonymous case studies, G2 reviews, and peer referrals can all build credibility.

David summed it up well:

“Make your champion successful and give them data that proves impact.”
That’s how customers become your advocates.

Earning a Seat at the Table

As CS becomes more influential, alignment across departments is essential.

The panel agreed that success starts with clarity, consistency, and transparency. Share outcomes across the organization, align executive goals, and integrate CS into strategic planning.

When tension arises between CS, sales, and product, treat it as collaboration in disguise. Joy uses shared metrics to unite teams, while David relies on data to drive decisions and remove emotion from the process.

Conflict often means people care deeply — channel it toward shared results.

The Takeaway

Customer Success in cybersecurity is about more than keeping clients happy. It’s about driving retention, expansion, and advocacy — and anchoring every GTM motion in the customer experience.

If you’re building a cybersecurity company today, start with an obsessive focus on making customers successful for the long term. The organizations that empower CS to lead will scale faster and build stronger, longer-lasting partnerships.

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