Barracuda adds CMS to distie shoal after Avnet exit

CMS Distribution to sell Barracuda's security and storage solutions in UK and Ireland

Barracuda Networks has enlisted CMS Distribution as its new UK and Ireland distie, following its decision to cut Avnet from its trio of distributors.

CRN revealed that Barracuda decided to part company with Avnet in the UK and Netherlands last month, following a distribution review, which saw Wick Hill and Commtech remain in the UK line-up.

Speaking TO CRN, Jason Howells, UK and Ireland sales director at Barracuda, said CMS was chosen because of the support and growth potential it offers.

"In terms of the investment they have been putting into their business together to work with Barracuda, there is more headcount than we have with Avnet," he said. "There is also a huge focus and desire to offer their existing partners, which are primarily in storage, a different option.

"We also feel like they are well respected in the IT arena. Several of our partners work with those guys and we hear good feedback. We feel we are very aligned in terms of our ambitions to grow and I guess the portfolio lends itself to our portfolio; there isn't huge crossover."

Howells said Barracuda launched its distribution review in April following its partner programme update which upped the rewards it was offering partners. He said Avnet was let go because other distributors could offer a higher level of investment for the vendor.

"We have worked with Avnet for a number of years. For us to get to the next level in the UK, it needs some significant investment to help us. It's really important that we have distribution partners that have the right kind of partners to work with and have the right investment into us as a vendor," he said.

"It was all very amicable, but at that point there was just more investment we could get and be more significant with other distributors, than continuing on with Avnet."

CMS will work with Barracuda in Ireland, as well as the UK, where the vendor's only other distie is Commtech, Howells said. He added that things are already up and running with CMS and the contracts will come to an end with Avnet in October.

Howells did not say how many of CMS' 3,000 resellers he was hoping to partner with, but claimed he was hoping to attract partners that wanted to diversify by adding security to their portfolio.

Justin Griffiths, director of software solutions at CMS, said: "Barracuda, a highly recognised industry brand, is a natural fit to our existing portfolio.

"Security is a space that CMS has not focused on previously, but it is an area that we will continue to invest in as we move forward towards our development goal. We believe this is an exciting time to position this technology to our customers, as the market is moving forward and embraces mobility, cloud and enhanced infrastructure."