GSEC1 partners wary over distribution deal
Vendor insists appointment of Mindshare Security will now affect its existing partners
Network security vendor Global Security One (GSEC1) has insisted its appointment of a third UK distributor will not ruffle feathers among its existing partners.
Mindshare Security will now carry GSEC1’s full range of Prodigy internet security management products in addition to broadliner Northamber and security specialist Arc Technology.
Despite disclosing that GSEC1, which only began shipping through the channel in 2004 (CRN, 22 August 2004), is also in talks to appoint a fourth distributor, the firm’s channel manager Mark Brooks claimed he had encountered “no negativity from any of our distributors”.
The contract with Mindshare gives GSEC1 access to more than 400 new resellers as the vendor attempts to expand its presence in key verticals such as insurance, finance and media.
“We were looking for a security specialist and it needed a product that fit the needs of the security market,” Brooks said. “With our product range, Mindshare can offer its VARs something it couldn’t get before.”
But Stuart Clarke, security division product manager at Arc – which claims to have played an important role in building market awareness for the GSEC1 product – expressed mixed feelings on the appointment.
“Now the product is truly commercially viable, we’d rather begin to see the benefits of our hard work than share this with new distributors in the channel,” he said. “Arc still considers GSEC1 to be an important part of our security portfolio.”
However, Brooks claimed: “Arc has an established reseller base for GSEC1 so it does not see this as a threat. Everyone agrees our products are competitively priced, meaning that there’s enough room for them all to serve their markets.”