Altiris ambitions put on Pedestal

IT lifecycle management vendor Altiris is looking to expand its UK channel and is working closely with Cisco following the launch of its first security product set since its takeover of Pedestal earlier this year.

Altiris, which acquired security vendor Pedestal for $65m in March, has unveiled two new security software products: SecurityExpressions, which acts as an audit and compliance solution, and AuditExpress a seven-area vulnerability assessment solution.

Christine Ewing, market segment manager at Altiris, told CRN: “Altiris is an organisation split into four different segments: client mobile management, server and infrastructure, and asset and service management. Since we acquired Pedestal, we have created a fourth category – security and compliance – where we focus on how to help security and network teams work together to improve the overall security position.”

The vendor also launched its Quarantine Solution, aimed at the mid-market. It claimed the system combines network asset management and security policy enforcement with integrated support for Cisco’s Network Admission Control (NAC) initiative – an interoperability programme for security products that operate in a network environment, which already boasts partners such as Intel and IBM.

John Botting, director of sales security management at Altiris, said the vendor was working with Cisco to recruit new resellers to the NAC initiative, centred on Altiris products.

“We are quite fortunate because we have a number of existing partners that already fit into the strategy, but we are working closely with Cisco to identify other candidates that can join NAC and become Altiris-focused partners,” Botting said.

Matthieu Brignone, senior marketing manager Cisco security, said: “We are working to bring more companies like Altiris to new resellers. To make an initiative such as NAC successful we need partnerships. Although Cisco leads the NAC initiative, we have a number of other value partners, and the first ones to benefit from any new partnerships are always the resellers. They can make more money by selling the relevant services around the products,” he said.

Colin Bradley, business development director for security at Cisco partner Dimension Data, welcomed the addition of Altiris to the NAC initiative.

“Dimension Data constantly looks at what we need to have within our partner portfolio to offer the end-to-end solution that customers like us to provide. I think there is every opportunity here in the UK and Europe that we will extend our portfolio to embrace Altiris’ portfolio. The margin opportunities around Altiris are also higher than with Cisco’s products.

“Cisco’s market is a hugely competitive environment and everything is keenly priced and contested. I would expect products like Altiris to have less competition, but to be more suited to larger partners such as us, who sell to the higher end of the market, so it definitely has an appeal,” he said.