Check Point continues market share offensive

Security giant Check Point is offering its UK partners a slice of a $3m co-op marketing fund as it strives to increase market share.

The vendor, which is actively recruiting new partners to its four-tiered channel programme (CRN, 6 June), is also holding its first ever UK channel conference next month and has launched a registered-deal programme to encourage partners to work even more closely with Check Point to tie up important deals.

Viv Francis, EMEA channel manager at Check Point, told CRN: “We are looking to sign entry-level partners, especially Silver-level VARs operating in the mid-sized company space. That is growing significantly at the moment.

“We are also looking for Bronze-level partners that we can promote through the programme ranks.”

Francis said the vendor, which works with four distributors in the UK – Unipalm, InTechnology, Westcon and Wick Hill – will not deliberately look to recruit higher-level Gold and Platinum partners to avoid flooding the market.

“We decided to hold a channel conference in the UK because it allows lower-level partners that can’t spare the time to travel to an exotic destination to find out about new products and strategies,” she added.

However, Francis said the increased competition in the marketplace has caused the vendor to adopt a no-nonsense approach.

“I am constantly evaluating our channel and if some are not performing as well as expected, I would not hesitate to replace them. However, at the moment we are very happy with how things are progressing,” she said.

Robert Gupta, general manager of VAR Secon, said Check Point still has its work cut out. “In the past couple of years Check Point has lost some momentum, particularly as the likes of NetScreen and SonicWall have upped their games. The marketplace is very aggressive.

“We have certainly heard a lot more from Check Point’s distributors recently regarding the vendor’s strategy so it is definitely making more of an effort,” he said.