Exclusive takes over from Arrow as sole Tufin distributor

There will be a crossover between the disties but Tufin expects Arrow agreement to terminate in next few weeks

Security vendor Tufin will distribute its products solely through Exclusive Networks in the UK after its previous distie Arrow works its 60-day notice.

Tufin had a distribution agreement with Arrow in the UK for a number of years but felt it was time to move to a new distributor with fresh relationships, said the vendor's director of Northern EMEA, Andrew Lintell.

"We have worked very well with [Arrow]; they've done a great job taking us this far," he said. "After a review it was felt that we had the opportunity to launch our channel programme with a new distributor with fresh relationships.

"We are entering a new stage where we are really starting to scale our business out. One of the key [benefits] for vendors engaging in the channel is it gives you the ability to partner with the right organisation that can take your product to market in the right way. For us, Exclusive were an obvious fit because they are very well entrenched in the IT security market."

The US-based vendor was founded in 2005, focusing on security policy orchestration.

There is a crossover period while Arrow works its notice, but Lintell expects the arrangement to be terminated in the next few weeks.

Exclusive will be looking to recruit between 12 and 15 partners for Tufin by the end of September. The distributor said Tufin chose it because its portfolio "far more compliments what Tufin want now."

Graham Jones, managing director of Exclusive Networks, said: "We are far more proactive, and we are a true value-add distributor, not just a transactional distributor."

Jones said the vendor complements its existing portfolio because it fits "seamlessly" on top of its existing products including Fortinet and Palo Alto.

"It is easier for our VARs to sell to their end users if it is a complimentary product, rather than a new product into the channel," he explained. "We will still continue the Tufin existing base, which is primarily partners who also work with Check Point."

Lior Arbel, general manager at Performanta - a Tufin partner - said: "Tufin are looking to work with partners to add value, and its partner programme actually encourages that, so we are really happy with that. We are very happy with our partnership; expectations are high for the Exclusive partnership."