Sendmail delivers HP ProLiant bundle
Worldwide reseller deal will see anti-spam product on servers
Sendmail has signed a worldwide reseller agreement with Hewlett-Packard (HP) to bundle its anti-spam and messaging products on HP's ProLiant servers.
HP resellers will be able to offer Sendmail's Mailstream Manager for content and message-flow security and Mailcenter for carrier-scale storage and access. In addition, an HP/Sendmail anti-spam solution, based on Sendmail's Mailstream Anti-Spam Solution will be bundled onto ProLiant servers.
The aim is to target SMEs. Although Sendmail deals directly with larger corporations, it believes using HP's channel will help it reach new markets.
"Today enterprises need a secure email infrastructure that meets their sophisticated needs without being complicated to manage. This anti-spam bundle provides a complete solution that is easy to buy, install and manage," claimed Greg Olson, Sendmail's executive vice-president of product strategy.
Initially HP will ship the software on industry-standard HP ProLiant servers running Linux, but Sendmail said it expects HP to roll out the software servers running Windows in the autumn.
Eric Allman founder of Sendmail, said: "We initially will sell in five tiers ranging from 100 to 10,000 users, which is pretty small for direct sales. We have a very active relationship with HP, while in Europe our sales are mixed between direct sales and the channel.
"But it is clear there is a market we are not reaching, and HP resellers have good connections and networks."
Sean O'Brien, managing director of VAR DVV Solutions, said: "It is a fairly smart move on the part of Sendmail.
"However, the sale is an upsell on a server-by-sever basis. Making this sale will require the message to be delivered successfully to HP direct customers and eventually the HP reseller channel. This will require considerable effort."
O'Brien added that it will be "interesting to see how successful other add-on software products have been for HP in the past".