e92plus cements deal with SonicWall

Distributor finds replacement for NetScreen after last month's split

Following its recent split with NetScreen, specialist security distributor e92plus has signed a distribution deal with security vendor SonicWall.

The agreement comes after the firm's distribution deal with NetScreen ended last month, and will bring in replacement multifunction security technology, e92plus claimed.

Mukesh Gupta, managing director of e92plus, said the distributor will approach its existing VARs with SonicWall's appliances. "The idea is to replace NetScreen within our existing reseller base," he said.

Gupta added that SonicWall's appliances, which feature anti-virus, content filtering, firewall and virtual private network capabilities, scale right up from SMEs to the enterprise market.

"The products are rich in features, offer good margins and are good in terms of price and performance," he said.

"We have competed with SonicWall in the past and seen the product, and we believe SonicWall has developed its products to go from the low end right up to the high end."

SonicWall already works with distributors Ideal, Azlan, Tekdata and Allasso in the UK, but speculation is rife that it will split up with an existing partner.

Francis West, managing director of SonicWall reseller FWCS, welcomed the addition of e92plus. "We work with e92plus on other product lines and it is one of our best distributors," he said.

West added that SonicWall is a good replacement for NetScreen. "It has many products that can compete with Check Point and NetScreen. With the technology it has built, the margins and the support it offers are good."

West said he will definitely look at buying through e92plus. He added that SonicWall will have to re-evaluate its distribution. "With the addition of e92plus it does seem over-distributed," he said.

SonicWall was unavailable for comment when CRN went to press.

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