Alcatel strikes three-way vendor deal
Networking firm signs partnerships with two security vendors
Networking giant Alcatel has forged partnerships with two security vendors in a move that could eventually benefit all three vendor?s channel partners.
Alcatel will resell Sygate's Host Integrity Solution with its OmniSwitch virtual LAN (VLAN) capability to provide attack prevention, and promote Fortinet's FortiGate anti-virus firewalls as its preferred perimeter solution.
Paul Collins, network infrastructure manager UK and Ireland at Alcatel, said: "Firms are being hit by viruses day in and day out and the battle is no longer on the perimeter of the network.
"Companies are being attacked within their own environment by disgruntled employees or by mobile devices being used in an office environment.
"We have the chance for a real cross-fertilisation approach with these partnerships, which will allow channel partners to buy the whole solution from one vendor."
He added that Alcatel will not rule out partnering with other security vendors. "We are a leader in the marketplace and this provides us and our partners with a real differentiator," he said.
Jonathan Mepsted, regional director at Fortinet UK and central Europe, welcomed the partnership.
"Being paired with such a large and well-known brand such as Alcatel will give us a lot of credibility. It will also allow us to penetrate the higher end of the market and help us improve our own branding," he said.
Alcatel is also introducing new security features for its OmniSwitch data switches, and broadening its CrystalSec security framework with the launch of its Quarantine Engine.
This will not only prevent potential viruses and block hack attacks, but enable attack containment, according to Collins. He claimed that in the event of a security breach, vulnerable or infected devices can be "quarantined without impacting on the safe parts of the network".