Arbor swaps Exclusive Networks for Westcon in EMEA

Arbor Networks looks to use Westcon to tap into more MSSPs across the region

Arbor Networks has replaced its former distributor Exclusive Networks with Westcon in EMEA, with the security player attracted to its global reach and relationships with managed security services providers (MSSPs).

Arbor, which provides enterprise DDoS protection, parted company with Exclusive Networks in EMEA last November, as CRN reported, and the appointment of Westcon is a substitute for that agreement, Richard Brown, Arbor's EMEA channels and alliances director, said.

"Exclusive did a fantastic job for us in the early years, and they are brilliant at that," Brown said. "But we truly needed the global reach and we had many discussions with Exclusive and their ambitions are to be global, as has been shown by their acquisition this week, but it didn't meet our timelines.

"It was a mutual decision to part ways and it wasn't anything they had done. They have served us very well, it was just their timelines were different to ours and we didn't want too many distributors which would cause confusion."

Brown said a key reason why Westcon was chosen was because of its skills capabilities.

"Westcon has changed their spots," he said. "They have gone from being a product shipping tin company to a fully fledged services organisation. And that's what we were looking for; we wanted to add more value to our partners and we wanted to make sure our distribution partners were adding value, and Westcon are already."

Westcon has not been tasked with bringing on a specific number of new partners, or for developing particular geographic regions, but Brown said he is looking to use the partnerships to reach more MSSPs.

"What we are finding is MSSPs seem to be a massive growth area in security," he said. "And MSSPs operate across multiple territories and Westcon gives us the feet on the street and the reach to address all MSSPs around the globe. And we see that as a huge growth area."

Westcon, which already works with Arbor in the Middle East and Latin America, is joining Zycko, the vendor's other EMEA distributor.

Brown said that Zycko is more of a "local VAD" in EMEA that will support and add more value to the mid-range resellers and provide them with professional services, training in nine languages and technical support. Meanwhile, Westcon is the global distributor which "our larger partners crave for the deals they are working on".

In December Zycko received a "significant investment" from Rigby Private Equity (RPE), which also owns a security stake in security VAD Wick Hill. Brown said with these two distributors working alongside each other, it will be hugely beneficial to Arbor.

"Zycko were new to the security market when they brought on Arbor and they are going to have more security expertise now than they ever had before," he said.