Sophos appeals to "overlooked" VARs with new programme

Security vendor says it can benefit from small resellers' huge customer bases

Security vendor Sophos wants to round up smaller VARs with the launch of its new partner programme, after claiming they are "overlooked" by vendors.

The firm, which acquired mobile security company DIALOGS in April and security outfit Astaro last May, conceded that it too had overlooked smaller partner companies until now.

James Vyvyan, director of channel sales at Sophos, said there is a big market for VARs working in the lower end of the market.

He added: "For vendors, it is easier to do one big deal than lots of small ones. There is a big opportunity to serve a misunderstood market that is not targeted very much, and that is what we are doing.

"We want to recruit lots of these [smaller resellers] as they have an infinite amount of customers. We have overlooked these in the past."

The new programme accommodates smaller VARs by making mobility across Silver, Gold and Platinum levels possible not just according to revenue brought in, but by the amount of training and certification completed with the vendor as well.

The programme will see partners from the company's recent acquisitions merged with existing Sophos partners, something that Vyvyan thinks will inevitably ruffle some partners' feathers.

He said: "To the best of my knowledge, most of [the acquired partners] have stayed and are doing similar business, but partners are not monogamous.

"There will be a few who did not like what happened with the acquisition and left.

"We should not try to please everyone, though, it is not possible. And we need to be focused."