Presence seeks channel partners for IM service
Vendor hails the release of v4.0 of its flagship Network instant messaging security service
Unified communications vendor Presence Networks is on the hunt for UK channel partners following the launch of its instant messaging (IM) security service.
The firm, which works with Northamber as its UK distributor, last week launched v4.0 of its flagship Network service, which it claimed allows end-users to use IM while minimising the business risks from a range of threats.
Symon Blomfield, chief executive of Presence Networks, said v4.0 is offered as a service, which helps Presence to stand out in the market.
“I don’t think there are any other companies out there offering the same as us,” he said. “It is a fully system-agnostic Software as a Service (SaaS), which firms can link to the messaging service of their choice, including MSN, AOL and Yahoo.
“Our focus is around selling through resellers and distribution. In the UK, we have already signed Computacenter and have had a lot of interest coming from security-focused resellers.”
Firms have three choices with the product, Blomfield said: the reseller can manage it, Presence can manage it or the user can manage it in-house.
He added: “We are keen to keep our channel fairly light to ensure all our partners receive a fair margin. Because we are such a small company, we are focused on making sure our product is right and we focus on the relationships that we have got. We are keen to get partners that have already signed with us moving to ensure that they have the support they need.”
Roger Whitehead, senior analyst at Bloor Research, said: “A managed service such as that provided by Presence can square the circle. It can combine the security, range of services and depth of integration of an enterprise product with the ease of use and scalability that only online services can offer. This is an approach well worth investigating.”