Dell Software leans on Infinigate for channel assault
SonicWall distributor gains access to Dell's wider Software portfolio, including Quest IAM products
Dell Software has appointed Infinigate as a pan-European distributor as part of its strategy to become more channel-centric.
Infinigate, which already had rights to the Dell SonicWall product range, will now push the identity and access management (IAM) products Dell inherited through its acquisition of Quest as part of the enlarged partnership, which includes the UK.
Murray Pearce, joint UK managing director at Infinigate, said that alongside SonicWall, the distributor will now focus on about 30 separate products, ranging from Password Manager at the low end to Dell Quest's high-end Identity and Access Management Suite.
"Dell is one of only a few vendors that has an end-to-end solution in the IAM space, which gives us the ability to take a total solution to resellers," Pearce said, adding that Gartner figures show the market is currently worth $10bn (£5.9bn) a year and growing at close to 10 per cent.
"This is a highly topical area in the market," Pearce added, explaining that the recent breach of US retail giant Target boiled down to the attackers gaining privileged access to the systems of a third-party supplier.
Andy Zollo, EMEA director of channel and alliances at Dell Software, admitted Quest had come from a direct-sales heritage but said Dell Software is moving to become a more "channel-biased" company.
However, the training and professional services required for Dell's IAM portfolio mean the vendor is "treading carefully" with its distribution strategy. "Infinigate are the first distributor to sign this type of contract - not everyone can have access to everything," Zollo said.
Infinigate chief executive David Martinez said Dell Software is "really serious" about its commitment to a two-tier channel strategy, highlighting that the vendor's UK and European team is staffed heavily with former SonicWall employees, including Zollo himself.
"Dell is becoming a real channel company and I am looking forward to doing much more business together," Martinez said.