DNS signs Affiniti for southern market push

Scottish service provider looking to grow market share through new indirect relationships

Scottish managed security services provider DNS has unleashed its first channel push south of the border and has signed integrator Affiniti as its initial partner.

DNS targets firms with between 500 and 10,000 employees, offering services incorporating firewalls, intrusion prevention/detection technology and remote access services. It has about 300 customers globally, but is looking to grow market share.

Peter Hannah, partner manager at DNS, told CRN: “We have grown quite quickly over the past two or three years, but we have a limited sales organisation and had to look at other ways of growing our security services business. That is why we have turned to the channel.”

Hannah said the vendor is hoping to keep its partner base fairly small and focused so it can work closely with partners and avoid any overlap. DNS is looking to take on between six to eight partners in the coming year.

“Affiniti is a great partner for us because it is focused on security and has already invested a lot in understanding how our technology works.”

He added that the firm is also hoping to boost end-user awareness of its offerings and is planning a number of seminars and events aimed at customers to bring them up to speed.

Vaughan Davies, product marketing manager at Affiniti, said: “We did have a managed security services partner based in the US, but what we really needed was a supplier with a UK presence, particularly with the stringent security requirements of some of our public-sector customers.

“We reviewed a number of different suppliers both in the US and US companies operating in EMEA. But DNS was the best fit for us overall.”

Davies added that Affiniti has already migrated a number of its customers to DNS’s services and has received positive feedback.

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