SonicWall unveils VAR scheme
MSSP programme 'to ease partners' administrative burden'
Security vendor SonicWall has devised a new channel programme aimed at simplifying the provision of security services and helping partners increase margin.
The Managed Security Services Provider (MSSP) scheme will ease the administrative burden for channel partners that offer the complete range of security services, SonicWall claimed.
"The market for managed services is going to be worth $21.7bn by 2007, and if we're going to grab our share of it we have to make it as easy as possible for our partners," said Mike Smart, European product manager at SonicWall.
This is recognition that SonicWall's high-end service providers need a programme that offers access to more powerful service and support tools, Smart added.
By creating a separate category for high-end service providers and telcos, SonicWall can offer them more favourable pricing.
Partners that qualify for SonicWall's MSSP programme will be offered software licence bundles, which will speed up the provision of licensing to partners and end-users and allow resellers to make higher margins on reselling licences, the firm claimed.
Smart claimed that as part of MSSP, SonicWall has devised a method for security appliances - such as the Pro 4060 and 5060 - to be managed more efficiently, under its global management system. This will make it more viable to sell managed security services to SMEs, he said.
The scheme has won the approval of at least one channel partner; indeed, the firm said the move was overdue.
Blue River, a Guildford-based security service provider to the retail and automotive industries, has been asking SonicWall for changes to its channel for a while.
Paul Webb, the firm's managing director, said: "SMEs need managed security; corporates have the resources to do it themselves. But at SME level the managed firewall market is dominated by Check Point and Cisco.
"Now we can have something to take to SMEs, and SMEs have got a better idea of who they can talk to in the SonicWall channel."