Comstor initiative throws weight behind Cisco security

Prove the Future scheme seeks to raise awareness of Cisco security products among Comstor's EMEA reseller base

Distributor Comstor has launched Prove the Future, an initiative that aims to raise awareness of Cisco's security portfolio and encourage partners to "get their whole feet in the water" with these offerings.

The initiative sees the availability of a free trial of Cisco's ASA with FirePOWER for partners which will be used to scan customers' networks to spot malicious traffic, and "ultimately help upsell more Cisco security", a company statement said. Comstor is also adding 20 sales and system engineers to support the scheme and will provide training and help with installation.

Jeremy Butt, EMEA senior vice president of Comstor owner Westcon Group, said the scheme is designed to reach out to more partners with Cisco's security offering.

"The benefit is that it raises the awareness of [resellers] who may not have been aware of the full security portfolio that comes from Cisco, and hopefully they will go further with it, try the programme and use the resources and capability," he told CRN. "And for those who may have been aware of it and had maybe put their toe in it, to maybe get their whole feet in the water. I think with the additional capability and resources we have, we are able to support people taking those steps."

The scheme has been rolled out in 11 countries across EMEA, including the UK, Netherlands and Germany and will target 300 UK partners and between 1,000 and 1,250 resellers in EMEA. The distributor hopes to get about half of these total partners on board with the scheme.

Butt said the initiative was in reaction to customer confusion in the security market, adding that it aims to drive confidence into resellers when selling Cisco security products.

"I do feel quite strongly about the hand-holding part of the process," he said. "Those initial experiences with any new vendor or technology, I feel it's very important that everyone gets a good taste and a satisfying taste from their first experience."

The launch of Prove the Future from Comstor is in conjunction with Cisco's new Advanced Security Accreditation programme for distributors. This will see Cisco increasing its rebates from five to eight per cent for disties who invest in more security resources.

Butt said he was delighted with this new programme from Cisco because it "flows right down through to the reseller and the end-user community".

It also forms part of Cisco's wider push into the security space, he added.

"Cisco has been in the security business for years," he said. "But without a doubt their footprint is getting bigger as they keep buying people. So it's making sure people are aware of how full that portfolio is."