Wick Hill bitten by VIPRE

GFI Software appoints Wick Hill as UK distributor for anti-virus brand VIPRE as incumbent Exclusive Networks walks away

Distributor Wick Hill is aiming to bite a bigger chunk out of the anti-virus market with new vendor signing VIPRE.

The VIPRE brand is now owned by GFI Software following its acquisition of Sunbelt Software last summer, and GFI is known to be intent on aggressively growing its market share.

Incumbent distributor Exclusive Networks is walking away from the brand and will perform a "friendly handover" to Wick Hill at the end of the month.

Wick Hill chairman Ian Kilpatrick (pictured) said that VIPRE would fit in nicely alongside the distributor's existing anti-virus vendor Kaspersky.

"We are looking to widen our footprint across the anti-virus area, particularly in the SME space," he said.

"We have a big push with Kaspersky around mobility, virtualisation and in the corporate sector. VIPRE gives us spread into the SME area."

Exclusive Networks will continue to distribute GFI's MAX managed services offering.

Finance director Robin Draper, said: "Our group strategy is more focused on higher-end solutions and securing the gateway, not the end point.

"VIPRE is still home-user and small-quantity SME, so we were doing a lot of transactions for not a huge return, albeit we understand it is a product that could grow and develop."

Kilpatrick said McAfee and Sophos would be key competitors in his cross hairs.

"Both Kaspersky and VIPRE offer disproportionately good margins compared with the competition," he added.

It is not yet known if GFI intends to appoint a second UK distributor for VIPRE.