Blue Coat takes MACH 5 to VARs

Security content vendor Blue Coat is hoping to help its channel to accelerate business sales with the launch of its MACH 5 technology.

Short for Multiprotocol Accelerated Caching Hierarchy, MACH 5 provides “a new set of functionality” for accelerating applications

across the enterprise WAN, according to the vendor. MACH 5 features bandwidth management, protocol optimisation, object caching, byte caching and compression capabilities. It has been designed to accelerate both internal and externally hosted applications that use encrypted Secure Socket Layer (SSL) communication.

Nigel Hawthorn, marketing director EMEA at Blue Coat, said: “I don’t know of any other vendor’s product that provides all five functionalities. It also gives end-users between five and seven times the throughput that other competing products give.”

Hawthorn added that the technology is compatible with Blue Coat’s existing Proxy devices, which means channel partners do not need to invest in extra hardware. The technology is aimed primarily at enterprises with remote or branch offices.

“These firms are finding they have slow access to internal and external applications. They are frustrated with the lack of performance,” Hawthorn said.

Resellers will be required to complete two days training on the product: one day sales training and the other technical.

“We have a series of training courses that will run over the next two months. But it will mean there will be another complete set of customers for partners to talk to, as well as up-selling to existing ones,” Hawthorne added.

David Ellis, director of e-security at Blue Coat distributor Unipalm, welcomed the new technology launch.

“We view this as a very positive product launch. Blue Coat has been very strong from a perimeter security perspective, but it is starting to expand its portfolio and is moving into new areas,” he said.

“We have a number of resellers that these products will suit. Some will be security-based and some, for example those that specialise in CRM or Citrix applications, will be new to Blue Coat’s technology. It is good for new and existing business partners, because they can still grow their business through traditional security, but also expand into new areas.”

Ellis added that the distributor will be working together with Blue Coat to provide training to partners.