Check Point launches SME programme

Resellers to be offered lead generation, online resources and training

Check Point has launched its Small Business Partner Programme in a bid to capitalise on rising demand for security products in the SME sector.

The firm has said the move is intended to build on the success of its similar enterprise channel offering.

Resellers joining the scheme will be offered lead generation, access to online resources and co-marketing funds, and online sales and technical training.

Carol Stone, vice president of marketing at Check Point, said the packaged value-add reseller support around the company's Safe@ range of products would be similar to the programme for enterprise lines.

"The Small Business Partner Programme is designed to give partners targeting the SME market a similar template," she said.

Mark Elsworth, marketing manager at distributor Unipalm, Check Point's Complete Solutions Partner of the year EMEA for 2002, said the vendor has a product set for the SME as well as the enterprise space but has never had a focused partner programme for this market.

"It is important to differentiate partner programmes in the enterprise and SME spaces because they need to be built around specific products," he said.

"This will be valuable for Check Point partners because it will offer them more relevant help from the vendor. I think this move is part and parcel of feedback from resellers."

Des Lekerman, managing director of Check Point reseller Eurodata Systems, claimed selling security to small businesses is a competitive market, with customers requiring appliance-based plug-and-play products.

Work still needs to be done by Check Point to gear its products towards the SME sector and help resellers compete in this arena, Lekerman added.

"There are a lot of commodity products in the SME space and customers want an appliance they can just switch on," he said.