SonicWall boss hails UK growth

Matt Medeiros claims UK business is booming as hunt for new EMEA boss steps up

SonicWall's chief executive has hailed the strength of the security vendor's UK business ahead of its EMEA partner summit.

Matt Medeiros revealed the vendor has grown by 20 per cent in the UK last year, with sales in its traditional SME stronghold rebounding in the second half.

Some 150 resellers are set to attend SonicWall's EMEA partner summit, which kicks off at Reading's Madejski stadium tomorrow.

Medeiros said the focus would be on SonicWall's product road map including its next-generation firewalls.

He also confirmed the hunt for a new EMEA boss has begun following the departure of Keith Bird to head up startup vendor eSellerPro.

Medeiros said he was "somewhat disappointed" to see Bird depart given that 2010 had been a "record" year for SonicWall in EMEA.

"We are in the process of interviewing quite a few people both internally and externally. We are doing an exhaustive search to find the right person to grow the company to the next level," he said.

SonicWall was recently bought by Thoma Bravo and Medeiros said the private equity house had given the vendor its backing to make acquisitions.

"Some people acquire for scale; we acquire for innovation," he said. "It would have to be someone that sells through the channel as we don't have a direct sales force."