Blue Coat snaps up Crossbeam
Security vendor claims it will be business as usual for both sets of partners until its year end in March.
Security vendor Blue Coat has stressed to its channel partners that it is business as usual following its acquisition of Crossbeam, which it announced today.
Blue Coat claims that the takeover, which is expected to close on 31 December, will have no impact on either set of partners until its financial year end on 31 March 2013.
Network security vendor Crossbeam, which has 25 worldwide offices, including a UK headquarters in London, works with UK VARs such as Integralis and 2e2 as well as distributor Computerlinks.
Blue Coat's vice president for marketing in EMEA Shirley O-Sullivan said that she hopes for a smooth transition period for both Blue coat and Crossbeam.
She said: "Nothing will change [for either partner sets] until the end of March. We obviously want a smooth transition with no disruption, and all terms and conditions as well as discounts and other partner benefits will stay the same, and the same goes for Crossbeam too.
"We share mutual partners and customers and we will encourage them as we go into the new financial year before we engage in more detail."
Last month, Blue Coat announced it was axing one fifth of its reseller base if they did not pull their socks up, but O'Sullivan did not comment on how the increase in partner numbers coming from Crossbeam would impact on the existing channel shake up.
She added that that the two firms are a natural fit; a sentiment echoed throughout some in the channel.
Distributor Computerlinks, which works with both Blue Coat and Crossbeam, said that the takeover should be positive for its resellers.
The distributor's director of core technology, David Caughtry, said that the move reflects well on Blue Coat.
He said: "[The acquisition] is good because it shows Blue Coat's intentions in product developemt. [Its product] road map as of late has been inactive, and it has gone through a lot of transition this year. It will definitely be positive for the channel."
Matther Gyde, Dimension Data's global general manager of security said that the two companies are a natural pairing.
He said: "Blue Coat and Crossbeam are natural partners. The combination of Blue Coat's web security solutions and Crossbeam's scalable X-Series platform is an exciting proposition for us.
"We are confident that this union will appeal to our clients that are looking to innovate securely and cost effectively."
Amnon Bar-Lev, president at Checkpoint, said: "Crossbeam has been a great partner for us, and we are committed to continuing and strengthening that relationship with Blue Coat going forward."