Data security vendor Imperva a is gearing up for a push in the Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliance space.

The company has doubled its European customer base over the past 10 months and recently launched an updated version of its flagship SecureSphere product, which it has claimed will reduce the IT resources needed to protect business application data and help resellers broaden their customer base.

“We are the only vendor to span both the web application and monitoring side,” said Jonathan Mepsted, EMEA managing director of Imperva. “This makes it simpler for resellers that want to offer the end-to-end story to firms faced with PCI compliance issues. The PCI deadline is looming and this is a big growth opportunity.”

He also said the firm is looking at opportunities in the mobile operator market and is keen to talk to VARs and integrators with data governance experience. However, he added: “We are not looking to affect our existing channel partners’ business.”

Imperva operates a single-tier channel model, but Mepsted said the firm is considering a strategy change in the next couple of quarters. “We are never going to have a closed door [to distribution],” he said.

Nick Garlick, managing director of Imperva partner Nebulas, said: “Web application security is talked about a lot. Imperva is in a very strong position because it has a consolidated approach and PCI is a clear driver. There are a lot of retail players looking at PCI compliance.”

Jonathan Mepsted to head Imperva’s EMEA push