Juniper to maintain channel
Firm unveils partner strategy
Juniper Networks has finally released details of its channel strategy, following its acquisition of security and firewall firm NetScreen at the beginning of this year.
The $3.4bn all-stock purchase was approved by authorities and shareholders last week. The firm is now embarking on a channel education campaign and is ramping up support to increase its presence among large enterprises.
Gert-Jan Schenk, vice-president of channel sales EMEA at Juniper Networks, told CRN the firm will maintain its two-tier channel programme for NetScreen partners, retaining its four distributors and resellers.
NetScreen partners will also have access to Juniper's networking products, traditionally available only to large carriers through a direct salesforce and large system integrators.
"There will be a lot of benefit for partners and end-users, because they now have a partner to help them solve networking and security challenges," said Schenk.
He added that the company will be embarking on a series of educational seminars and individual meetings with resellers, to alert them to the expanded product base and help them target large enterprises, particularly in the financial services and public sectors.
Bob Tarzey, service director at analyst Quocirca, said Juniper and NetScreen reseller partners can now offer a complete secure networking system that will enable them take on networking giant Cisco and the renewed efforts of 3Com.
"Adding a leading firewall technology will help them become a much stronger competitor to Cisco and 3Com," said Tarzey.
The news comes as Juniper announces a sixth consecutive period of sales growth for its first quarter ended 31 March 2004. Turnover was $224m, compared with $157.2m for the same period last year.