The most recent articles from CRN

Tiered scheme aims to boost Imperva ranks

Doug Woodburn — 2008-10-13T15:38:00.000Z

Doug Woodburn, CRN, Monday 13 October 2008 at 15:38:00

Application data security vendor launches two-tiered programme for midmarket push

Application data security vendor Imperva has launched its first tiered channel programme to swell its mid-market presence.

Under the new PartnerSphere programme, Associate partners are required to have two certified sales staff, while higher-level Premier partners need two certified sales and four certified technical staff.

Imperva is reviewing where its seven UK partners, which includes Vistorm and Blue Cube, will sit in the new set up.

Mark Kraynak, vice president of global marketing, said more mid-market firms are moving to protect themselves from data breaches and comply with Payment Card Industry regulations.

The vendor has just launched SecureSphere Standard Edition, its first product for mid-market firms.

“We were seeing traction in the mid-market and needed a product specifically designed for that,” said Kraynak. “There will be a new set of partners focused on the mid-market that will start at Associate level.”

He claimed the application data security market is worth about $1.5bn (£832m) annually and is growing at 30 per cent.

Rob Swainson, managing director of Blue Cube, said: “We would have preferred it if things had stayed the same, but we knew Imperva would move to a broader model.”

Imperva tackles PCI compliance market.

Integralis cultivates Webroot partnership

Sara Yirrell — 2008-10-10T09:33:00.000Z

Sara Yirrell, CRN, Friday 10 October 2008 at 09:33:00

Global integrator signs deal to supply vendor's Software-as-a-Service offersings as part of its managed security services portfolio

Integralis has signed a global strategic partnership with Webroot to deliver its security software as a service (SaaS) as part of its risk management portfolio.

The integrator has joined Webroot’s Channel Edge partner programme as a Premier partner, and will offer the vendor’s Saas solutions through its 19 global offices.

Jason Humphreys, director of managed security services and development at Integralis, said: “The decision to enhance our portfolio with Webroot was easy. Our customers need a security solution that can address the very complex nature of web and email content today – that stays ahead of malware threats.

“Webroot security Saas is a technically advanced offering that more than addresses the critical needs of the market, increased protection, greater manageability and reduced cost of ownership.”

Peter Watkins, chief executive of Webroot, said: “We are proud that Integralis has selected Webroot. Being selected by a company that has the extensive security industry expertise such as Integralis really validates our commitment to delivering network security in the cloud.

“Now companies of all sizes can benefit from a scalable enterprise-class security solution that is easy to manage and provides better protection and value than traditional appliances and software.”

Identify to comply

Fran Howarth — 2008-10-09T11:46:00.000Z

Fran Howarth, CRN, Thursday 9 October 2008 at 11:46:00

Strategies can ensure good control through identity management

Compliance is a word on everyone’s lips. But it does not just mean regulatory compliance. Rather, all firms need to ensure that compliance is enforced.

One of the most pressing concerns for organisations is ensuring that sensitive data does not leak out of the company, potentially leading to damaged reputations or financial loss.

To guard against this, organisations are increasing their investments in security technologies, from point solutions such as content filtering to prevent leakages to full-blown identity management systems.

While hackers are targeting specific organisations or individuals to steal valuable information, looking for vulnerabilities in networks that can be exploited, most of the incidents of data loss that have been in the press recently were caused by inadvertent actions of employees or, in some cases, by carelessness.

According to a latest survey by the Computer Security Institute, insider abuse of network access may be the most

prevalent security problem facing organisations. This was reported by 59 per cent of respondents. Identity management systems solve the problem of policing who is accessing what, when and what they have done with the information afterwards.

Such information is vital for proving through audits that effective security controls have been put in place and that organisations comply with set policies.

Putting in the hard work

This fact is not lost on organisations. The same survey found that, after compliance with regulations and data protection in

particular, solving identity management issues is seen as the second most pressing concern for companies.

However, putting in place an identity management infrastructure is a long and arduous task.

During a recent webinar in which Quocirca participated, attendees were polled on what identity controls they had implemented. All firms polled indicated they realised the importance of compliance auditing and securing access to computers, systems and data, with most putting such controls in place in their businesses.

But security policies are only useful if a company can ensure they are enforced. One of the best ways to do this is to tie all actions taken to the individual perpetrator.

Respondents were asked whether they thought user name and password combinations were sufficient for tying a user’s identity to their actions.

Our results showed organisations agree that stronger authentication is required for users, with most on the road to supplying network users with some form of additional security token providing an additional layer of security.

However, all organisations experience employee churn and not all staff members leave with a rosy view of the company.

To prevent anyone causing deliberate harm at a time their loyalty is likely to be weakest, access rights should be revoked as soon as possible after their employment has ceased preferably immediately.

Still a long way to go?

Yet the results of the poll indicate that 44 per cent of organisations open a considerable window of opportunity for miscreants to do their deeds. It is harder bringing someone to account when they are no longer your employee.

The poll suggests that compliance is an issue facing every organisation. Also, all respondents accept they do need stronger authentication of network users.

Such authentication provides more reliable evidence that security policies are being enforced by making individuals more accountable for their actions.

Identity management systems ease the burden of proof required for passing compliance audits but for many organisations, watertight identity controls remain a nirvana yet to be reached.

Distributors feeling the heat

Doug Woodburn — 2008-10-09T11:32:00.000Z

Doug Woodburn, CRN, Thursday 9 October 2008 at 11:32:00

As security vendors forge direct relationships with resellers, distributors are potentially left struggling

Concerns are mounting that security distributors are suffering an identity crisis and are struggling to justify their role in the channel.

Security vendor Websense sent shockwaves through the market last month when it revamped its distribution rebate structure (Channelweb, 22 September). Its four distributors were briefed to focus on generating new business with unmanaged resellers and will now receive broadline margins for transacting with larger, managed resellers.

Elsewhere, a slew of security vendors are cutting distribution out of the loop altogether by forging direct ties with their top resellers.

In each case, the motive is the same, with a growing sense that security distributors are no longer adding the value they once did and are merely shuffling the top accounts between themselves. The bleak economic backdrop has also made a one-tier channel model more appealing as vendors chop unnecessary costs.

Going direct

Etienne Greeff, director at security integrator MIS, said: “The top Websense, Juniper, Check Point and RSA distributors are just chasing after the larger partners and are not generating incremental business or adding value for the vendors.

“Their job should be to find and grow new resellers and to teach them about security, just like 10 years ago. But they are not doing this.”

Greeff said Clearswift had recently forged direct ties with MIS and claimed other big vendors harboured similar plans. On a global basis, Check Point has made no secret of its desire to work directly with more resellers, while IronPort continues to service its top VARs directly despite having recently moved back to a recent distribution model (Channelweb, 20 June).

A host of manufacturers, including Check Point, Juniper and Blue Coat, have also rolled out direct support programmes, meaning their resellers no longer have to rely on the distributor for support.

“We had been screaming out for this because working with a distributor just adds delay to the process and we have more qualified engineers than the distributors,” said Greeff.

Greeff claimed distributors will be increasingly left out in the cold as the economy forces vendors to review their supply chains and security resellers grow in size.

“In the past, distributors were more powerful, but the balance has shifted because resellers have gained more knowledge and critical mass. Vendors need resellers more than distributors now,” he asserted.

Jez Turner, sales manager at VAR Foursys, agreed: “Distribution is okay if it adds true value in support or services, but because we focus very closely on our core vendors our own technical teams have superior knowledge to the distributors.”

Unsurprisingly, this is not a view shared by the distributors.

James Pattinson, security director at DNS Arrow, joined the distributor last November following a stint at vendor SurfControl.

“Vendors are looking at hybrid channels or managing resellers directly and fulfilling them through distribution,” he said. “Having worked at a vendor and a distributor I see things vendors are missing.”

Pattinson said DNS Arrow is seeing rising demand for its multi-vendor marketing campaigns, stressing that some larger VARs lack marketing resources.

A new focus

Kay Bruen, UK managing director of distributor Westcon Security, agreed that vendors are demanding that their distributors focus more on unmanaged accounts.

But she denied that wholesalers no longer have a role to play in volume business, even with established vendors such as Check Point.

“It is a dangerous path to take for a vendor to think they can take the cream and leave distribution to mop up the rest,” she said.

“If you take a firm like Check Point, its technology is complex and there is a large amount of legacy knowledge required to understand its portfolio. We also have unparalleled knowledge of licensing.”

Bruen added that distributors will continue to play a vital role around credit and global logistics, especially for large service providers.

“The unique selling point of Westcon is we can ship into 160 countries and understand the local customs implications and how to handle freight,” she said.

Pat Dunne, senior director of the UK and Ireland at Websense, said the distribution shake-up had worked well, and that its distributors now understood their new role.

And he warned rival vendors to think twice before abandoning distribution altogether.

“Clearswift is taking a lot of business direct, a few others are doing the same and some have gone from direct to indirect and back again. This makes it difficult for the reseller to invest, because they know the model may change. The channel wants a consistent model,” he said.

Symantec bags MessageLabs

Doug Woodburn — 2008-10-08T12:47:00.000Z

Doug Woodburn, CRN, Wednesday 8 October 2008 at 12:47:00

Security vendor bolsters position in fast-growing SaaS space with $695m acquisition

Symantec has stepped up its arms race with McAfee by laying down $695m (£396m) for messaging and web security vendor MessageLabs.

Just two weeks after McAfee dropped $465m for Secure Computing, Symantec has trumped the deal by signing a definitive agreement with the Software as a Service (SaaS) specialist.

MessageLabs is no giant, having grown annual sales by 20 per cent to $145m in its latest fiscal year. But Symantec stressed the acquisition would bolster its SaaS position, a market IDC believes will grow from $5.71bn in 2007 to $17bn in 2012.

Symantec claimed MessageLabs is the top provider of online messaging security worldwide with more than eight million end users at 19,000 clients. The acquisition will allow it to cross-sell and up-sell its existing SaaS offerings of backup, storage and online remote access into MessagLabs’ customer base, Symantec added.

The $695m cash deal, which is subject to foreign currency adjustments, will be payable in approximately £310m and $154m.

John Thompson, chief executive of Symantec, said: “MessageLabs extends our investments in the Software-as-a Service segment and will allow us to offer our customers unprecedented choice from a single provider of message security solution.

“By combining MessageLabs with our Symantec Protection Network team, we have one of the strongest portfolios of cloud-based infrastructure services and a great foundation on which to grow.”

Adrian Chamberlain, chief executive of MessageLabs, said: “Symantec and MessageLabs have a common belief in the benefits of in-the-cloud services and how they enable customers to be protected from threats and enforce policy.”

GSS warns of cloud computing dangers

Kayleigh Bateman — 2008-10-08T11:08:00.000Z

Kayleigh Bateman, CRN, Wednesday 8 October 2008 at 11:08:00

Cloud computing may be all the rage, but reseller GSS has warned end users to look before they leap

Security VAR Global Secure Systems (GSS) has urged businesses to consider the security implications of jumping into the world of cloud computing.

GSS has suggested businesses review their current IT security arrangements before even considering a trial run with a third party cloud computing company.

This week IBM became the latest vendor to jump on the cloud computing wagon, unveiling a new initiative to extend its software delivery model towards cloud computing applications for its ISVs and customers.

David Hobson, managing director of GSS, said the outsourcing of data to a company like IBM or Amazon means business information could end up being stored almost anywhere in the world.

“The provisions of the Data Protection Act mandate that companies must clearly state to their customers where they plan to store their data, and how they will use it. The legislation also effectively means that companies must store their data within the European Union,” he said.

Hobson explained that the chances of data being stored anywhere in the world is quite high as vendors providing Cloud Computing services need to replicate the data around the world to maintain their own disaster recovery and data backup plans.

He added: “Our caution here at GSS does not reflect on the integrity of these new cloud computing services in any way. It merely reflects the fact that corporate governance rules and, of course, data protection legislation needs to play catch-up with the real world.”

Nebulas incubates three more vendors

Doug Woodburn — 2008-10-08T10:18:00.000Z

Doug Woodburn, CRN, Wednesday 8 October 2008 at 10:18:00

Integrator will introduce RTO, RES and Tufin to its early adopter customers over a six-month period

Integrator Nebulas Solutions Group has bolstered its new technology portfolio by adding three vendors to its Technology Incubator programme.

Nebulas will introduce vendors RTO Software, RES Software and Tufin Technologies to its ‘early adopter’ customers over a six-month period.

Those that make the grade will be introduced to the reseller’s wider customer base.

Nebulas launched its Incubator programme in 2007 with the aim of bringing new technologies to market at a low cost to the vendor. Successful graduates of the system include encryption vendor Ingrian Networks.

Tufin works in the firewall change management and compliance reporting space, RES makes workspace management solutions, while RTO is a virtual desktop infrastructure specialist.

RTO’s vice president of sales, David Burke, said the Incubator would allow it to meet potential customers and have the “deep technical discussions” required to help them get the most from the technology.

Ronnie Khan, UK country manager of RES, added: “The Incubator is a very effective way for two organisations to assess each other's skills and technology without the upfront investment which often accompanies full partnership agreements.”

David Aminzade, general manager of Tufin Technologies UK, said: “Our two companies combined expertise in firewall technology will provide a powerful offering for the market place.”

Nebulas recently split into three divisions - Nebulas Security; Nebulas Virtualise and Nebulas Xcelerate - to shake off its specialist security image and renamed itself the Nebulas Solutions Group (Channelweb, 17 April).

Online VARs appeal to card issuers

Sam Trendall — 2008-10-06T15:52:00.000Z

Sam Trendall, CRN, Monday 6 October 2008 at 15:52:00

Etailers look to credit card firms in battle against fraud

Online resellers have spoken of the need for unwavering vigilance in tackling card-not-present fraud (CNP) while appealing to credit card companies for more help.

Recent figures released by payment association Apacs found fraud cost the UK £301.7m during the first six months of 2008, a 14 per cent increase on last year. CNP fraud, which includes internet, phone and mail fraud, rose 18 per cent to £161.9m.

Apacs representative Mark Bowerman said: “We are never on a level playing field because the number of online shops is always increasing.”

Bowerman welcomed the recent announcement that the Metropolitan Police and the Home Office will pour £7m of funding into the Police Central E-crime Unit, which is set to open next year.

Barry Dodhia, marketing manager at VAR Hemini, claimed dealing with the problem of CNP fraud was incumbent on credit card firms.

“Online fraud hits us in the pocket,” said Dodhia. “The police have limited resources so credit card companies should bear the brunt of this. Their measures can be half-hearted and need to be more stringent.”

Reseller Printerland sells online, and managing director James Kight claimed more help from card issuers would be appreciated, but stressed the importance of his company’s own rigorous measures.

“We have very strict measures and do full credit checks which, rather than being an obstacle, customers actually like,” he said. “A lot of fraud follows similar patterns; it is all about awareness.”

2e2 closes Netstore buy-out

Sam Trendall — 2008-10-03T11:02:00.000Z

Sam Trendall, CRN, Friday 3 October 2008 at 11:02:00

Integrator targets £50m revenue spike and increased SaaS expertise

After closing its acquisition of security specialist Netstore, integrator 2e2 has claimed it now boasts a formidable consultancy practice.

Completion of the £57m buy-out, 2e2's biggest acquisition to date, was announced today. The Berkshire-based integrator claimed it would benefit from Netstore's application hosting expertise and its two data centres, situated in Reading and the North East.

2e2 indicated the deal would bolster its revenue by about £50m and would also add 200 staff. The VAR also claimed it would now enjoy a strengthened application management and software as a service (SaaS) offering.

2e2 chief executive Terry Burt said: "We are delighted to announce this acquisition which brings together two strong and established names in the IT services industry to create an enhanced platform for the continued growth of 2e2. This acquisition delivers an exceptional opportunity for us to engage more broadly with our customers and adds further momentum to 2e2 as a major force in the UK market.

"Our perfectly positioned SaaS, consulting and managed service offerings allow 2e2 to deliver greater business efficiencies and cost savings to an expanded customer base. We look forward to welcoming the employees and customers of Netstore into the 2e2 Group.”

Graham Kingsmill, chief executive of Netstore, “This acquisition makes perfect sense for both Netstore and 2e2 customers. We now have a powerful, complementary service offering ranging from the delivery of IT platforms to best of breed software application expertise. All provided in the most efficient, scalable and flexible way possible."

New chief wants clarity for Clearswift resellers

Sam Trendall — 2008-10-02T10:42:00.000Z

Sam Trendall, CRN, Thursday 2 October 2008 at 10:42:00

Richard Turner outlines his priorities for the security vendor after joining from RSA

Clearswift’s new chief executive Richard Turner is hoping a clearer partner programme and simpler product range will help the vendor emerge as a dominant force in the content security market.

Turner arrives from RSA Security, where he spent 12 years and has earmarked three priorities for taking the company forward.

“Clearswift is an excellent technology firm,” he said. “But evolving our marketing message is important.”

Turner also wants to increase the clarity of the partner programme and acquire partners with services capabilities.

“We probably have a bit too much technology in our portfolio,” he said.

Turner claimed yearly revenue growth of more than 15 per cent was his initial target. “The market is buoyant and there is no de facto leader. We have the technology and are well positioned to emerge in the leading pack,” he said.

Paul Prior, managing director of Premium Partner Foursys, said: “The Clearswift product range is a business and solution sell, which needs skilled resellers. Anything that reinforces that is good news.”

EOL earns its fourth ISO accolade

2008-10-02T10:38:00.000Z

CRN, Thursday 2 October 2008 at 10:38:00

The VAR hopes to use its new certification to break into the public sector

VAR EOL IT has bagged an International Standards Organisation (ISO) certification in security management and plans to use it to push into the public sector.

The firm has completed certification for the ISO 27001 for information security management systems, which less than one per cent of all UK firms have so far completed.

This brings the firm’s number of ISO qualifications to four; the others being ISO 18001 for occupational health and safety management, ISO 9001 for quality administration systems and ISO 14001 for environmental management systems.

Richard Parker, managing director of EOL IT, said: “This latest ISO is all about data security. A number of our competitors have this, but the immediate benefit for us is when tendering to clients.”

Parker added that the firm intends to go for larger public sector contracts now that it has four ISO standards.

“There is only one other firm that I know in our sector with all four ISO certifications. It is all about putting in best practice to the business.”

InfoGuard unlocks Avnet alliance

Doug Woodburn — 2008-10-01T10:02:00.000Z

Doug Woodburn, CRN, Wednesday 1 October 2008 at 10:02:00

Swiss encryption vendor strengthens presence in the UK, the Netherlands, Germany and Austria with distribution signing

Swiss vendor InfoGuard has signed distributor Avnet Technology Solutions to carry its network encryption products in the UK, the Netherlands, Germany and Austria.

InfoGuard is the first high-speed encryption product Avnet has ever offered. The vendor has customers in 130 countries and representative offices in Zug in Switzerland, Germany and the UK.

The alliance will focus on InfoGuard’s Multilink Encryption solution, which is billed as the world’s first multi-link and multi-protocol encryption device able to encrypt up to 10 interface ports simultaneously across any combination of Fibre Channel, FICON and Ethernet protocols - while maintaining low latency.

Paul Reeve, director Avnet Technology Solutions EMEA Networks and Security, said: “As optical networks become more critical and criminals become more sophisticated in their attempts to intercept valuable information in transit, there is a growing need for optical encryption.”

Thomas Meier, chief executive at InfoGuard, said: “By working with Avnet, we are able to reach a much larger channel and provide a consistent level of sales, fulfilment and support for both partners and end users. Our relationship with Avnet is part of a long term strategy and will help us to deliver a new category of high performance encryption technologies which we plan to launch at the beginning of next year.”

Managing remote workers

Adrian Burholt — 2008-09-30T17:31:00.000Z

Adrian Burholt, CRN, Tuesday 30 September 2008 at 17:31:00

Users and resellers must ensure they don’t make a mountain out of a molehill, says Adrian Burholt

Remote working is a trend; popular because it cuts office costs and improves productivity although perhaps a little daunting for the uninitiated.

I know first-hand how hard it is to recreate the level of IT support found in a big enterprise with nothing more than PC World’s finest. Even though I like to think that working in technology elevates me above the average IT user, I have to admit that cobbling together a remote working system would stretch my talents.

BT’s recent research into people management and IT recognised the difficulties SMEs face when trying to set up and run remote working. The channel, we think, should be focusing on the technology that enables remote working.

It is important to stress that the key to making remote working possible for a business is to keep it simple.

If it proves difficult for someone with a technical background to build a remote-working system from scratch, I dread to think what SME owners in non-tech industries make of it all.

There are plenty of new remote working technologies ripe for channel adoption: cloud computing, for example, which has attracted interest from a number of big players – Google, Amazon, and tech giant Dell, who saw fit to patent the domain name “cloudcomputing.com”.

However, whether it’s cloud computing, portable storage devices or encryption for off-site workers, one rule applies: the technology needs to be easy to use.

This principle of simplicity needs to be applied to remote working technology. When workers are outside the typical office IT support network, their need for intuitive, usable IT becomes paramount.

Think of it as the iPod rule: the iPod wasn’t the first MP3 player on the market, but it mastered the usability equation and this fed into its customer appeal.

Remote working has a growing number of advocates. IBM, AT&T and American Express have all used remote workers to great success and SMEs are following their lead.

There is also the cost-saving aspect: by taking employees out of the office, businesses can cut down on space and IT requirements, saving on rent and electricity.

In the UK the government is considering extending the remote working rights of parents from those with children under six to all parents with under-16s – a real chunk of the workforce.

With grass-roots demand from employees combined with legal requirements, it’s clear remote working is more than a fad. It would be a shame, therefore, to miss this channel opportunity by overestimating how tricky remote working is to set up and run.

The next question is why do people overestimate the complexity of remote working? To an extent I think some vendors find it hard to avoid the pharmaceutical model of marketing – market the illness and the cure sells itself.

The recent and steady stream of lost data stories in the press (missing memory sticks, laptops left on trains) is enough in itself to put some employers off remote working, who reasonably assume that everyone is liable to forgetting a memory stick.

Exaggerating the risks of remote working to sell more technology to customers merely adds to negative perceptions and can come across as patronising.

Instead, vendors and resellers need to head off these concerns by emphasising what we believe is tried-and-tested, easy-to-use technology that protects customers from human error.

It’s actually very easy to secure portable data even when it’s been left on a train: credit cards and mobile phones already do so and it’s so integral to both products that I suspect most users don’t give it a second thought.

The technology in both is SIM or smartcard based. This system is trusted – for the most part -- to protect mobile phone data and bank balances.

Resellers can capitalise on the familiarity of SIM cards and their daily functions to then promote their use in remote working technologies.

Customers will build up their trust of the technology by building a relationship with the brand and by drawing parallels with existing products like mobile phones and bank cards.

Resellers and vendors alike should resist the urge to market technology through fear. Don’t risk eroding your own business model by scaring away customers.

If, however, you can prove that you’ll be making someone’s life easier, you’re guaranteed an audience.

Look beyond the concept of ‘plug and play’, too, to cost savings, financial and even psychological benefits. Best of all, look at timing.

SMEs all over the country are starting to investigate remote working options and if a reseller can provide timely, simple and instantly deployable solutions to customers who are just about to take the plunge, they will be welcomed.

If the salesman in PC World had been able to offer me a remote working solution in a shiny little box, I would have shaken his sweaty paw and invited him round for tea.

Adrian Burholt is chief executive officer at The Key Revolution

Machine-to-machine portfolio to throttle up Alpha Micro customers

Fleur Doidge — 2008-09-30T17:04:00.000Z

Fleur Doidge, CRN, Tuesday 30 September 2008 at 17:04:00

Surbiton specialist lines up vendor for emerging 3G components market

Components distributor Alpha Micro has teamed up with Sierra Wireless to position itself for uptake in 3G machine-to-machine (M2M) communications and embedded modules.

John Moore, sales and marketing director at Alpha Micro, said the new distributor agreement covers embedded and 3G M2M modules from Sierra Wireless.

“At the moment, our main areas are GSM or 2G and GPRS or 2.5G, so this allows us to move higher data speeds into different markets,” he said.

Moore said digital signage holds big potential for M2M communications. Users could update billboards and similar remotely over the air, for instance.

The faster speed of 3G modules means that communications happens faster and video can be supported as well. And as it is an emerging technology, few competitors exist in the UK currently, Moore said.

“Service providers have paid a lot of money for 3G plans and it is in their interest to get more people on to that network,” he said.

As 3G pricing comes down over the next two or three years, more uptake will be seen. Alpha Micro is getting in early with a view to gradual sales growth as 3G adoption increases, Moore said.

He said Alpha Micro will act as a value-added distributor for Sierra Wireless, working with customers in digital signage, video surveillance and the like. It also provides devices from vendors such as Lantronix, u-blox, Sagem and Taoglas.

The distributor has also taken on Sierra Wireless' range of embedded modules, which target the OEM space but the biggest opportunity is for M2M long-term, Moore said.

Jim Lahey, vice president EMEA at Sierra Wireless, said the wireless components vendor has been putting its shoulder to the M2M wheel since mid-2007, when it acquired AirLink.

AirLink makes a range of M2M hardware incorporating a 3G engine with software that enables users to access and manage 3G networking remotely.

“M2M is an investment business for us,” Lahey said. “When we look at M2M players in the market they are quite small and we believe we have the financial bandwidth to make a play.”

Sierra Wireless currently has US$250 million (£140 million) in cash and no debts so is financing what the company believes will eventually become a good investment, he said.

Scott Munro, director of UK business development at Sierra Wireless, agreed that M2M is an upcoming technology.

“We have done a lot of research to find vertically aligned channel partners in the UK and Ireland, and some other geographies,” Munro said.

“What Alpha Micro offers is design [via] distribution. Their professional services and pre- and post- sales support are really solidifying their position.”

Nokia to sell security biz

Doug Woodburn — 2008-09-30T15:32:00.000Z

Doug Woodburn, CRN, Tuesday 30 September 2008 at 15:32:00

Mobile phone giant in advanced talks over sale of security appliance arm

Nokia has announced it is close to selling its security appliance arm to a mystery financial investor, but channel sources remain stumped as to the buyer’s identity.

The Finnish mobile phone giant said that discussions are in the “advanced stages” and claimed the disposal would help it focus on its core mobility business.

Niklas Savander, executive vice president of Services & Software at Nokia, said: “If this transaction is concluded, it would be an extremely positive development for the security appliance business, which will be able to realise its full potential under new ownership.

“The investor is committed to continuing the development and growth of the business, to serving its current network of customers, and to retaining and motivating its employees.”

Channel sources claimed that even some senior EMEA Nokia executives still remain in the dark as to the identity of the buyer. Nokia said further news about the transaction would be announced when a definitive agreement is reached with the investor.

As part of plans to focus on the consumer segment, Nokia also announced it plans to cease developing or marketing its own-behind-the-firewall business mobility solutions. It also said that, going forward, it plans to form its enterprise solutions offering through partnerships with the likes of Microsoft, IBM and Cisco.