Arc eyes enterprise for Fortinet
Vendor's fourth UK distribution signing unveils ambition to become training specialist
Paul Judd: Arc brings a different set of skills, franchises and partners
Distributor Arc Technology aims to help Fortinet crack the enterprise market and has set its sights on becoming the vendor’s second UK training provider.
Arc was unveiled as Fortinet’s fourth UK distribution partner earlier this month, and will work alongside incumbents VADition, Voice Comms Warehouse (VCW) and Bell Micro. French outfit Exclusive Networks, which majority owns Arc, has long been one of Fortinet’s top global distributors.
Arc managing director Stuart Reay said: “We saw there was room for Fortinet growth in the UK, even though it already had three other distributors.”
Reay said his firm was targeting the public sector and finance verticals. He predicted that Arc would join VADition as an Advanced Training Centre and would have courses running by the end of next month.
“Fortinet can see real scope for us to broaden the number of partners they have,” he said.
Fortinet’s UK and Ireland director Paul Judd said its recent initial public offering was opening doors in the enterprise space.
“It has had a substantial effect in the UK. In the City of London we saw a substantial uptick in opportunities,” he said.
Arc’s signing would bolster Fortinet’s capability in the north of the UK, said Judd, adding that the Chesterfield-based firm brought “a different set of skills, franchises and partners”.
“Bell, VCW and VADition carry hardware franchises in security, storage or networking,” said Judd. “The predominance of Arc’s other franchises are in software and are typically being sold to a different set of resellers.”
Judd said he expected Arc to bring on board a handful of top-level Gold and Silver partners “in the fullness of time”.
“It is about value, as opposed to volume,” he said. “One area we cannot have enough of is the Bronze partners.”