Fortinet confirms VCW split as Q3 sales boom

Security vendor says decision to axe VCW was based on "multiple criteria", as it reports 29 per cent leap in quarterly sales

Patrice Perche: The decision was based on multiple criteria

Fortinet has lifted the lid on its split with Voice Comms Warehouse (VCW) after smashing expectations for its third quarter.

Fortinet last night shattered analyst estimates by unveiling a 29 per cent year-on-year rise in third-quarter sales to $85m. It claims to have grown 35 per cent for the year to date in the UK.

Patrice Perche, senior vice president of international sales and support at Fortinet, said VCW had failed to match the UTM vendor's recent growth but stressed the decision was based on “multiple criteria”.

He said Fortinet now generates two thirds of its UK sales from its mid-range and high-end technology. It is planning to push further into the enterprise after hiring four heads to focus on the financial services, cloud/service provider, legal and media verticals.

Perche said: “We expect our distributors to grow at the same speed as us. But it is not only the growth but also the investment in supporting Fortinet and technical knowledge. Maybe these things are not important at an early stage when you are selling to SMBs, but now it is different.”

VCW's contract ended on Wednesday. Its disappearance leaves Fortinet with three UK distributors: specialists VADition and Exclusive Networks and giant Avnet.

Chris Walsh, sales director at Exclusive Networks, said: “Fortinet is a key product for Exclusive Networks, and like the vendor we are currently driving forward a significant growth strategy.”

VCW had worked with Fortinet since 2002 and managing director Graham Fox, blasted back: “So the resellers and a distributor that helped create a market in the UK over the years are being left behind?

“The UK UTM market is worth over £200m and Fortinet is one of many vendors working in that space. Our focus remains 100 per cent on the business needs of our resellers and we (and our resellers) already know that our portfolio, including Cyberoam, more than fulfils the needs of the market technically and commercially.”