Cynics need not apply for Check Point deal reg

Security vendor says first-ever deal registration scheme will weed out flagrant attempts to lock competitors out

Check Point says its first-ever deal registration programme will not be open to the abuse suffered by many of the equivalent schemes run by its competitors.

Although deal registration is an age-old staple of most established vendors' channel programmes, Check Point has until now protected its partners' cost of sale though non-standard pricing (NSP) only.

The vendor has finally joined the fray with a formal deal reg programme that guarantees partners of all levels an extra margin of 20 per cent, which UK managing director Terry Greer-King said would help partners generate new business.

The programme will be monitored to ensure cynical partners do not abuse it, which he said was a common practice in the industry and something that was recently flagged up by rival Fortinet.

"Some partners under other vendors' schemes try to deal reg the Yellow Pages," he said. "Because we have a process here we don't allow people to do that; they can't deal reg a whole load of end customers en masse, which has happened in a lot of vendors' programmes. And I think 20 per cent is pretty generous compared with other vendors."

Its introduction comes as Check Point puts more emphasis on generating new business and expanding its partner base. The scheme has allowed partners to drive home its message of security consolidation with greater success, Greer-King said.

"We have had a pretty good response," he added. "We have had more than 200 deals registered in the UK in the past six to seven weeks and every one has been new business to Check Point."

Since January, Check Point has also been carrying out gap analysis to help its partners highlight to some of the UK's largest companies how swapping out their discrete security products with one gateway from Check Point could save them up to 25 per cent.

One opportunity generated through a gap analysis led to a $7.7m (£5m) project within three months, despite the fact the client had only recently invested in a web filtering solution from a competitor, Greer-King said. Some 34 have been carried out so far.

Greer-King added that consolidation is Check Point's core message in 2013.

"BYOD is all good stuff but it's a bit boring and there are more exciting things taking place," he said.