How Can B2B Tech Marketeers Scale Growth and Cut Data Fatigue? – Matthew Harper, Palo Alto Networks

Matthew Harper’s career path in technology marketing began with an unexpected operational shift. Starting as a business development representative conducting tele-sales in the UK, an enterprise acquisition presented him with an opportunity to pivot into field marketing. Recognising the need to differentiate his technical skill set, Matthew quickly certified himself on automated platform toolkits, springboarding a decade-long career at Palo Alto Networks. Today, operating from Amsterdam as the Commercial Marketing Director for EMEA, Matthew directs go-to-market strategies that bring cybersecurity platformisation to commercial and mid-market organisations across the region.

How do you transition from enterprise security to commercial market scaling?

Matthew outlines his strategic shift toward addressing mid-market security realities.

“Originally from the UK, I have been living and working in Amsterdam in the Netherlands for the last thirteen years, spending the last ten of those years at Palo Alto Networks. I recently started a brand-new role as Commercial Marketing Director for EMEA.

Palo Alto Networks is a matrixed organisation spanning various products and market segments. In my previous role, I was responsible for network security marketing across all segments, from top Global 2000 companies down to commercial businesses. My new focus centres specifically on the commercial market. I am looking at how we bring value to customers at the smaller end of the spectrum, land net new logos, and drive scale across the region.

Our broader focus for the past few years has been driving platformisation. We sell cybersecurity, and we have identified that organisations adopting a platform approach are inherently more secure. They have fewer gaps in their environment and maintain a better cybersecurity infrastructure. Previously, my role focused on marketing to the top echelons of organisations to secure large-scale platformisation deals covering our network security offerings, including firewalls, secure access tools, and AI solutions.

While platformisation remains a top priority, we recognised the need to specifically address mid-market and commercial customers. These organisations, typically around five thousand employees or fewer, face similar security challenges as enterprise giants, but they lack the massive internal teams to deploy a complex portfolio. My goal is to scale that message and expand our route to market. That means working closely with our partner ecosystem, while building value propositions and solution narratives that directly address the resource realities of smaller organisations.”

How can marketers overcome decision paralysis and dashboard fatigue?

Addressing internal operational friction, Matthew discusses the dangers of over-measuring campaigns.

“Marketers often suffer from decision paralysis, wanting to demonstrate every tool, message, and skill all at once. People need to learn restraint. It isn’t about positioning every product simultaneously across fifty different assets. My manager likes to say, ‘We want to make waves by throwing rocks, not pebbles.’ It is about picking one or two core value propositions and executing them exceptionally well.

A closely connected challenge is that marketing teams often measure too much, measure incorrectly, or track metrics that mean nothing to the broader business. We sometimes measure ourselves into an impasse and get tied up in convoluted data. While data-led decision-making is valuable, not every team member is fully data-literate. If you give someone a dashboard with endless filters, they can manipulate the views to confirm whatever outcome they were looking for, producing unreliable results.

We would all benefit from simplifying what we measure and using a bit of gut instinct. If you are using back-end funnel metrics like MELs, MQLs, or PQLs that your sales stakeholders do not understand, leave them out of executive meetings. Those figures might help guide internal optimisation, but they shouldn’t be the sole metrics we live and die by.”

Why is diversity of thought the ultimate engine for team innovation?

Matthew details how inclusive workplace environments and AI tools unlock creative potential.

“One of the biggest shifts over recent decades is that we live in a far more inclusive environment. We have a much deeper understanding of diversity, extending beyond gender and race into diversity of thought and neurodiversity. As leaders, fostering an environment where people feel safe, valued, and supported unlocks their true potential.

Inclusivity is a core value at Palo Alto Networks. When you build a space where individual needs are met, people blossom and produce truly innovative ideas. The opportunity lies in staying receptive to different perspectives rather than getting trapped in singular ways of working.

AI actually serves as an enabler for this workplace diversification. Artificial intelligence acts as an equaliser for individuals who might struggle with physical meeting presence or written communication, helping pull out the absolute best in people’s natural diversity.”

What does it mean to operate as a marketing alchemist?

Inspired by Rory Sutherland’s work, Matthew shares why creative breakthroughs often conflict with pure data logic.

“The word I choose is alchemist. This is inspired by Rory Sutherland’s book, Alchemy. The premise of his work is that humans are fundamentally irrational beings, and true business breakthroughs often come from original or seemingly irrational ideas that a traditional accountant would never sign off on.

I view my role through that lens because I am fortunate to lead a strong team. Anyone can run standard webinars, execute events, or draft a basic marketing plan, but the real excitement comes from novel ideas. The word alchemy fits because you take a piece of product capability, a slice of customer insight, a few operational tools, and blend them together to create something far greater than the sum of its parts.

I would ask other marketing leaders: ‘When was the last time you tried to do something completely different that was not driven by data?’ Some of the most impactful ideas happen despite data-driven insights. Major creative breakthroughs often conflict with rational thinking or standard analytics. I encourage marketing leaders to trust their gut, embrace experimentation, and step away from pure data dependencies.”

What foundational advice should guide early-stage marketing careers?

In a final thought, Matthew shares core principles regarding jargon, vendor partnerships, and direct customer engagement.

“I boil it down to three key principles. First, avoid getting trapped in the marketing echo chamber, especially in tech. We frequently use nonsensical corporate jargon, vanity metrics, and flashy dashboards that mean nothing to anyone outside the industry. Speak in a natural language and maintain your own perspective.

Second, find great vendors and treat them well. A common mistake is trying to execute everything internally. Partnering with a strong agency or events company unlocks fresh perspectives. When you find the right vendor connection, treat them as true partners so you can grow together.

Third, and most importantly, meet and speak directly with real customers. Speaking at an event booth is not the same as sitting down and listening to a client explain their operational reality. Last year, I completed our internal training to become an Executive Briefing Centre speaker. Presenting to clients and hearing their challenges firsthand completely changed how I approach marketing. Every customer uses a different language, and none of them speak in marketing jargon. Listening to their actual needs is the most valuable thing a marketer can do.”

Join the Conversation: The Ortus Club’s Executive Network

Across Matthew’s insights on scaling commercial platformisation, cutting through dashboard fatigue, and embracing creative alchemy, one pattern is clear: modern growth hurdles cannot be resolved within isolated marketing silos. They require a peer-level perspective and high-trust dialogue that transcends traditional demand generation playbooks.

His vision of the “Marketeer as an Alchemist” reflects a broader operational reality: today’s growth heads cannot rely on rigid data metrics alone to capture boardroom attention. The most effective executives, especially those managing complex cybersecurity, cloud, and enterprise software portfolios across EMEA, actively seek out peer dialogue as a strategic necessity to test their go-to-market strategies against real-world conditions.

At The Ortus Club, we host curated executive roundtables that bring together senior leaders facing these exact challenges. Step away from the daily noise of vanity dashboards and engage in the kind of open, high-value conversations that align your marketing engine with true business growth.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is platformisation in B2B cybersecurity marketing?

A: Platformisation is a strategic approach where an organisation consolidates multiple point security solutions into a unified, integrated platform. In marketing, it involves shifting messaging away from individual tools toward comprehensive infrastructure security that reduces operational complexity.

Q: How do commercial security needs differ from enterprise accounts?

A: While commercial and mid-market businesses face similar cyber threats as global enterprises, they typically operate with smaller internal IT and security teams. Consequently, commercial marketing must emphasise simplified deployment, partner ecosystem support, and clear resource efficiency.

Q: Why should B2B marketers avoid using internal funnel metrics in C-suite meetings?

A: Internal metrics like MQLs, MELs, or PQLs describe operational marketing steps rather than commercial business outcomes. Presenting these vanity metrics to sales stakeholders and C-suite executives creates communication friction; marketers should instead present pipeline impact, deal velocity, and revenue contribution.

Q: What is marketing alchemy in enterprise growth strategy?

A: Marketing alchemy refers to the practice of combining customer insights, product capabilities, and unconventional creative ideas to produce commercial breakthroughs that cannot be predicted by pure data analytics or rational financial models alone.

Q: How does diversity of thought improve marketing innovation?

A: Diversity of thought brings varied cognitive perspectives, neurodiverse problem-solving styles, and distinct professional backgrounds into campaign planning. This prevents team groupthink, fosters inclusive messaging, and yields original go-to-market concepts that resonate with diverse buyer groups.