Guidance Software looks to channel contacts
New EMEA boss Frank Coggrave scouts for VARs to help take vendor into $1m enterprise and government opportunities
Frank Coggrave: We need support from channel to help win the multi-million pound deals
Digital investigation vendor Guidance Software is switching to a channel model in the UK to bolster its hunt for high-end enterprise and government business.
Guidance’s heritage lies in forensics, but the US-based firm has recently targeted much larger deals around its new eDiscovery and Cyber-security applications.
Frank Coggrave, vice president of EMEA sales, is one of three former Websense executives to join Guidance in recent months.
“I was brought on board partly for my channel heritage at Websense,” he said. “We are now talking about million-dollar opportunities with large banks. To win those you need channel support. They have the resources and contacts to back you up.”
Coggrave’s goal is to recruit 20 to 25 UK resellers within a year, with potential recruits enjoying support around lead generation and training.
He also stressed it was a high-margin opportunity, giving the example of a recent $300,000 South African banking deal that allowed the partner to generate a further $300,000 in services revenue.
Most prospects, he added, would already be familiar with Guidance’s forensics offering, which has over 30,000 users globally. “They know it is defensible in court,” he said.
David Hobson, managing director of security integrator GSS, saw Guidance as a niche opportunity and questioned how many end users would invest.
“This is not the sort of tool anyone can pick up and sell and is very specialist,” he said.
“There is no question we are exploring the possibilities as there is something there that is of interest. Guidance’s forensics product is world-leading. The question everyone is asking is whether corporate clients are minded to step up to the next level.”