Micro-P unveils new WAN optimisation ally
Hong Kong-based SANGFOR hunting for 50 UK resellers
WAN optimisation vendor SANGFOR has appointed Micro-P Security as a UK distributor as it looks to replicate the success it has enjoyed in its native Asia on European shores.
The Hong Kong-based vendor is aiming to recruit 50 resellers that work in the application acceleration arena, taking on market incumbents such as Riverbed and Blue Coat on price.
Channel manager Mark Shepherdson admitted that SANGFOR faces brand awareness issues but vowed the vendor is not in it to make up the numbers.
"People tend to be very brand conscious and stick to what they know but SANGFOR is a mature technology that has been developed over 10 years, has featured in several Gartner reports and does $147m (£96.5m) a year in sales," Shepherdson said.
"People are not backing a no-name vendor that is chasing a bit of Californian venture capital money. We are a privately owned company bringing good-value technology to market."
Offices were launched in the UK and US last year after the vendor concluded it had reached saturation point in Asia, where it has amassed 21,000 customers, Shepherdson said.
By the end of the summer, the vendor will have 12 UK staff, meaning it can provide full support to partners, he added. It plans to take on local staff in the Nordics and Germany soon.
Micro-P will initially focus on SANGFOR's WANO WAN optimisation solution, which Shepherdson claims offers a more affordable alternative to Riverbed for cost-conscious end users outside the FTSE 100.
"We have just replaced Riverbed from an account. They bought ours because the price of all three of our boxes was less than the cost of upgrading one single site with Riverbed," he explained. "Riverbed has good product that a select few people can afford and we are bringing that level of technology to the rest of the world."
"Hopefully the Micro-P partnership will springboard us into some resellers and help us get to market," Shepherdson said, adding that it will support partners from day one of the sales process, including with demo kit. ISPs and larger resellers targeting clients with multiple sites top SANFOR's partner wishlist.
Dominic Ryles, marketing manager at Micro-P Security – formerly Tekdata – said the distributor had been looking for a replacement WAN optimisation vendor since previous ally DBAM hit the wall in 2010.
He stressed that Micro-P Security has no plans to take on SANGFOR's SSL or firewall technology due to its existing relationship with Dell SonicWall.
SANGFOR recently signed up Selcoms to carry its internet access management technology and Shepherdson indicated that there are no plans to take on further distributors.