Wick Hill bolsters product offering

Distributor tackles key security issues for two target markets

Security distributor Wick Hill has added two vendors to its portfolio in a bid to address what it claims are key security issues for two target markets.

First, the firm is focusing on the SME sector with a new virtual private network (VPN) gateway product from German vendor BinTec. Second, it is targeting and the corporate market with secure token technology from Vasco.

Wick Hill has expanded its agreement with BinTec in Germany to address the need for high-availability VPNs among UK SMEs. BinTec makes network routers with VPN capabilities.

Thomas von Baross, managing director of BinTec, said the UK is now ready for a product that is established in Germany, France, Italy and Spain.

"We already have reseller agreements in the UK and had offices in 2000. But the demand for broadband was not there," he said.

Ian Kilpatrick, group managing director of distributor Wick Hill, said he has been selling BinTec products for four months and demand is "taking off".

According to von Baross, Wick Hill will be the starting point for BinTec's UK expansion.

The firm's Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)-based products offer fail-over to an extra DSL and IDSN, analogue and GSM. It is aimed at SMEs requiring secure access between offices.

Wick Hill is also addressing the secure access market through a deal with Vasco, which makes token hardware and software for organisations to give employees authenticated remote access.

Jochem Binst, director of corporate communications at Vasco, which sells only through the channel, said the company's customers range from local authorities to high-street banks.

Kilpatrick said Vasco offers in-the-box bundles for firms of various sizes. "We have demand for 10-user and 100-user bundles, so the opportunity is there for resellers of all sizes," he said.

He added that the products fill gaps in Wick Hill's portfolio. "These are two different pieces of the access puzzle," he said.