Check Point urges partners to switch on IPS

Resellers leaving easy pickings on the table because they are not fully aware of free IPS offer, says security vendor

Check Point is launching a channel campaign designed to get more of its firewall customers to turn on free IPS functionality.

Since 24 February 2009, Check Point's firewall appliances have been shipping with free IPS functionality, which the customer can use for 12 months simply by turning it on. If they fail to turn it on during this period, they can still take advantage of a free 30-day trial.

Terry Greer King, UK managing director at Check Point, said that some partners are "not as cognisant as they could be" about the offer and are therefore leaving easy money on the table.

Just 40 per cent of Check Point's estate is "turned on", he said.

After the free trial is over, the reseller should yield healthy revenues in the form of a paid renewal and income from related consultancy services.

"We are asking the channel partners to review all the product sales they have made since 24 February 2009 and talk to the customers about the IPS they have for free," said Greer-King. "It seems to be an easy sale."

The as-yet-to-be-named campaign will feature awareness and education activities, and call-out days either organised by Check Point or the partners themselves.

Check Point generated about 95 per cent of its $300m (£189m) UK sales since February 2009 from pure-play firewalls featuring the free IPS offer, said Greer-King.

Greer-King added that Check Point's blades map perfectly onto the desire among mid-sized and, increasingly, larger customers, to pare down their security architectures. This is the story resellers should be taking to customers with the IPS campaign, netting themselves lucrative consultancy revenues in the process, he said.

"When selling Check Point's firewall technology the partner ought to be talking to their accounts and saying ‘how about IPS?' and ‘why don't we turn this on?'. They should be engaging with customers in trying to drive down costs because that's where the market is going."

Greer-King made a more general point that many resellers are becoming "complacent" about renewals, which he said tend to generate half of the more mature partners' sales.

"The key thing is not to treat it as a clerical exercise. Treat it as a lead, as an opportunity," he said. "That's the time to get engaged with the customer and upsell."