Top Layer praise for VAR rescue mission
Vendor says only channel could have solved DDoS problem so quickly
Security vendor Top Layer has acknowledged the channel's value as distributor equIP and its resellers came to the aid of victims of recent Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks.
Last week criminals used DDoS to crash web sites and demanded £50,000 from each victim to stop targeting their sites.
Earlier this year security vendor ISS claimed that DDoS attacks had increased by almost 14 per cent in the first six months of 2003.
Matt Percival, business development director EMEA at Top Layer, said six customers came to the vendor for help and it was able to react quickly with support from its channel.
"They came to us and said: 'We are in trouble, can you help?' after being hit by the DDoS attacks," Percival said. "Through distributor equIP and its resellers we managed to overcome the problems."
Top Layer's Attack Mitigator IPS 5500 product, which includes anti-DDoS and DoS attack features, was integrated within hours by resellers, in partnership with equIP.
Percival added that Top Layer, which sells entirely indirectly, could not have managed without the channel in this case. "We could not have got the stock and installed it anywhere near as quickly ourselves," he said.
Ian Morris, co-founder of equIP, agreed that only the channel could help so quickly. "I don't think this could be done any other way, because they needed a combination of knowledge and equipment quickly," he said.
He added that three UK VARs, including Data Integration, dealt with the six distressed businesses. Jonathan Lassman, sales director at Data Integration, confirmed the business was passed onto it by equIP, via Top Layer.
"This shows the channel's ability to seize on opportunities," he said. "The channel's independent advice on technology currently available is vital."
The channel should prepare for an increase in demand for this type of product, according to Lassman.
He said these latest DDoS attacks will stimulate end-user awareness. "It takes an event like this for a technology to take off," he said.