The public sector is in the middle of a digital transformation, but selling into government isn’t for the faint of heart. Between legacy procurement systems, long sales cycles, and decentralized IT decision-making, navigating this landscape requires precision, strategy—and increasingly, the right technology.
Dean Scontras, Area Vice President of Public Sector Sales at Wiz, knows this world well. And at Wiz, one of the fastest companies to ever hit $100M in ARR (and recently acquired by Google for $32B), Dean and his team are changing the game with Pursuit.
The State of Public Sector Sales Today
Let’s be clear: selling to the public sector is still tough. Procurement cycles often exceed a year, decision-makers are spread across multiple stakeholders—technical, economic, and political—and many agencies still rely on outdated, on-prem infrastructure. Yet there’s massive momentum building. COVID-19 acted as a forcing function, pushing state and local governments to reevaluate old systems and invest in digital infrastructure. New procurement vehicles like NASPO have also emerged, streamlining processes that were once RFP-only marathons.
Still, challenges remain. State and local agencies face a severe shortage of cybersecurity talent, and many are not yet structurally equipped to adopt cloud technologies. Legal teams often work off contracts written for on-prem software, further slowing SaaS adoption.
Enter Pursuit: Driving Precision and Speed
In an environment where sales cycles can stretch over 500 days, Dean emphasizes the need for precision. That’s where Pursuit delivers. “There’s no worse feeling than a deal that takes that long to close,” he says. “But when we can use technologies like Pursuit to understand the procurement landscape—who needs to sign, which contract vehicles apply, and what internal politics are in play—we gain control.”
Pursuit helps revenue leaders like Dean understand where a deal stands within the tech win and procurement cycle, offering unprecedented forecasting accuracy. "We use historical data to understand when a deal is likely to close,” Dean explains. “But the art is in seeing beyond that—who’s involved, what’s the path to procurement, and how can we accelerate that?”
Building Pipeline in a Siloed Market
Public sector sales doesn’t operate like commercial. “Finding customers is the hardest part,” says Dean. “In commercial, it’s digital. In SLED, it’s events, word of mouth, and long-standing relationships.”
Pursuit gives Wiz the ability to find in-market buyers faster, tap into public signals like job openings and contract awards, and identify stakeholders before competitors even know there’s a deal to be won.
Forecasting with Confidence
Dean has developed a forecasting model based on tech wins and procurement stages. Pursuit helps bring rigor to that approach. “We don’t count on a deal for this quarter unless it’s passed specific internal milestones,” he says. “Pursuit gives us visibility into where each deal is in that journey, which means our forecasting is realistic—and our close rates are higher.”
The Power of Momentum: Land and Expand
Wiz’s public sector strategy is laser-focused on “land and expand.” With over 200,000 public sector entities and only a handful of reps, scale is impossible without focus. “We’re going after as many logos as fast as possible,” Dean notes. “Once we land a customer, Pursuit helps us find adjacent agencies, identify similar use cases, and replicate success.”
That strategy is working. And as more public sector buyers move to the cloud and rethink cybersecurity, Wiz—powered by Pursuit—is positioned to lead the charge.
Winning the Cloud Wars
A key insight from the interview: legacy systems may appear cost-efficient, but their true costs—maintenance, staffing, and risk—are staggering. State and local governments are beginning to see cloud not just as a technology upgrade, but as a financial and operational necessity.
“The agencies that succeed are the ones willing to take a risk, backed by a proof of value,” Dean explains. “Pursuit gives us the ability to provide that business case quickly and credibly.”
A Final Word
At Pursuit, our mission is to help modern sales teams go from data-rich to deal-ready. Wiz is a shining example of what happens when innovative tech meets strategic go-to-market execution. With Dean’s team leveraging Pursuit, they’re shortening sales cycles, increasing win rates, and scaling in one of the most challenging markets on the planet.
Want to see how Pursuit can help your sales team win in complex markets like public sector? Request a demo.
