ConSentry takes first steps into UK channel
Vendor signs up Data Integration, Matrix Communications and Integralis as first UK partners
Secure networking vendor ConSentry has signed its first three channel partners following its UK launch last year (CRN, 3 October).
The vendor, in partnership with master distributor equIP, has signed Data Integration, Integralis and Matrix Communications.
Dean Hickman-Smith, vice-president of worldwide sales at ConSentry said: “We have identified a $17bn niche market out there in terms
of upgrading existing networking infrastructure to Cisco’s Network Admission Control (NAC) framework-compliant networks. ConSentry has the only appliance solution featuring NAC.
“We have focused growing the business in the US, and we are turning our attention to the UK,” he said.
Hickman-Smith added that the vendor is seeing success in four key markets: education, professional services such as legal, financial and healthcare, and also transport and energy markets. ConSentry is particularly keen to sign UK VARs with experience in the financial services sector, he said.
Grahame Smee, managing director of equIP agreed that the UK market opportunity was huge.
“What we are doing is taking ConSentry’s strong message and developing that into a channel proposition. We will support a select number of partners and train them both commercially and technically, allowing them to use our lab facilities and making sure it doesn’t turn into a massively distributed channel.”
Smee added that the distributor will be strict when recruiting partners.
“We are going to be select and don’t intend to have hundreds of resellers. The first three resellers were chosen because they gave ConSentry the maximum coverage with minimum conflict in three separate markets,” he said.
Hickman-Smith added that the vendor’s deal registration web site went live last week. He also revealed that the firm is in the process of opening its first UK office and is looking to recruit a UK-based managing director.