BitDefender rebuilds after SIP spat
Vendor seeks new distributor as it aims to draw a line under Security IP split
Simon Geach: There has not been, nor is there currently, any legal action between BitDefender UK and SIP
Anti-virus vendor BitDefenderis seeking to rebuild a two-tier channel in the UK following its acrimonious split with defunct distributor Security IP (SIP).
Oxfordshire-based SIP drew the majority of its revenues from BitDefender, at one stage acting as its UK sales and technical arm.
The duo officially parted company in February after SIP fell behind with payments. SIP ceased trading in July, but former staff have since founded Securedis, a security distributor focusing on German vendor G Data, which uses BitDefender as its AV engine.
Former Kaspersky executive Simon Geach joined BitDefender in April as UK and Ireland sales director. Geach is keen to draw a line under the spat and stressed that BitDefender has hired a new chief operating officer from Microsoft who has a strong channel pedigree.
“His intention is to ensure we successfully build a two-tier channel model in the UK, as he recognises the value in the channel, as do I,” he said.
Geach added that the vendor is hunting for a distributor to handle the retail side of its business, as well as the 80 or so business-to-business partners that were previously driven by SIP.
“For the first two years, SIP did an extremely good job,” he said. “However, they then stopped servicing clients the way we wanted and failed to keep up with payments for a long period of time.
“There has not been, nor is there currently, any legal action between BitDefender UK and SIP,” added Geach.
Former SIP managing director Andi Robinson confirmed that ex-SIP staff members, including Nick Robinson, have established a new business.
“The challenges we had servicing BitDefender’s partners came from the fact its products were not always fit for purpose,” he said.
“Securedis is emulating certain proven aspects of SIP; software-focused key IT security solutions from emerging brands who have yet to establish a meaningful UK presence and need a go-to-market partner.”