Email encryption newcomer says no to distributors

German-based Zertificon looks to work with VARs directly following its UK launch

Security vendor Zertificon is looking to recruit reseller partners directly following its recent launch in the UK, after claiming it can train them better than distributors can.

The email encryption specialist, whose headquarters are in Berlin, has recently opened a UK outpost in Crawley. The firm is looking to bypass distributors and sign about 20 reseller partners directly in order to give itself more contact with VARs.

The vendor's UK country manager, Burkhard Wiegel, said Zertificon can do the job of distributors itself for now.

He added: "Distributors can have so many resellers that we have no say in who they are. We like to work a lot more closely with our resellers as it gives us more control. We can train and educate them a lot better. We carry out a lot of workshops ourselves."

Despite the initial decision to sell direct, the vendor said it may reconsider its distribution strategy in the future with the launch of a cloud product in the SMB market.

The company is hoping to work in the UK with current Germany, Austria and Switzerland (DACH) region enterprise partners such as Integralis, HP and Computacenter within the verticals of automotive, healthcare, public authorities and professional services.

In addition to its current partners, Zertificon is looking to recruit a number of small and specialised UK resellers to join the programme at either basic Business partner level or Competent partner level, where partners will enjoy more competitive benefits.

"Our intention is to work with a select group of UK partners to extend training and technical support to help them successfully deliver high-value projects," said Wiegel.

"Many of our clients within the DACH region have similar requirements to our UK counterparts and there is an untapped potential for channel partners to expand their solution portfolios."