Security vendor CyberGuard has cemented its presence in the lucrative Irish market by signing a distribution agreement with Commtech.

The distributor, which recently expanded across the Irish Sea into Scotland, will supply CyberGuard’s complete range of Firewall/VPN and content security management appliances, as well as its enterprise-class security management software – Global Command Center.

Andrew Clarke, managing director EMEA at CyberGuard, said that CyberGuard’s recent $295m acquisition by Secure Computing (CRN, 29 August) will not affect the deal.

“Commtech operates as a true value-added distributor and is an important partner for us. There is a lot of e-government activity in Ireland and it is a lucrative market for security vendors. It is one of the highest valued IT markets in Europe.

“Commtech has broad vertical coverage, in Ireland and Scotland and having a local activity in those areas is only going to benefit our business.”

Clarke added that the vendor is considering further partnerships. “We are very rigid in our assessment of who we can engage with. As we continue to evolve CyberGuard in the market, we are still on the lookout for more distribution partners,” he said.

Darren Craig, UK managing director of Commtech, said the vendor’s products were a good fit within its existing portfolio.

“CyberGuard’s product range covers all sizes of partners, from SME resellers to enterprise-level resellers, and we felt there was a gap in our portfolio that we needed to address. The fact that its products have EAL 4 accreditation and zero vulnerabilities is also an important factor.

“We felt that CyberGuard’s Irish market was not being served well by some of the broadliners in the UK. We can provide local presence as well as pre- and post-sales support for resellers in both Ireland and Scotland.”