CensorNet sets sights on enterprise space

Vendor launches new partner programme following acquisition of SMS Passcode

Security vendor CensorNet has launched a new partner programme after integrating authentication vendor SMS Passcode into the business.

CensorNet acquired the Danish firm in February to add its mobile authentication solution to CensorNet's existing security portfolio.

The firm has now formed a new partner programme which Grahame Smee (pictured), sales vice president at CensorNet, claims "combines the best of both".

"No one else is offering a platform that can manage all the threat vectors that we do around mail, web, cloud and authentication," he said.

"There are a number of vendors that have a little bit of what we do - there are web vendors, mail vendors and there are multifactor authentication vendors - but there is no one that sells everything we do in one place."

Smee said the addition of the SMS Passcode authentication solution has cemented the firm's position in its traditional education sector, while also thrusting it into the mid-market and enterprise space.

With this in mind, CensorNet is looking to continue its partner recruitment drive, having doubled its UK partner base over the past six months, and is also looking at bringing in a distributor in early 2017.

"As we move more into enterprise we tend to be bringing in more partners focusing in that area, who are applicable across multiple vertical markets - it's across the whole enterprise market," he said.

"We don't want to have too many partners and dilute the market completely, but there's space for resellers who want to work with us and help us to find opportunities, and in return we'll work with them closely to make sure they win the business and retain the margin."

CensorNet partner CC Communications sells products predominately to schools and colleges and director Ian Crowther said that using a distributor would be a good thing for partners, provided it does not "encroach on margins".

He also praised CensorNet for taking on more partners.

"The more people who are out there selling the product, telling end users the advantage of it, the easier it is for the rest of us to sell it," he said.

"With regards to tapping into the wide area network market and the higher-end customers, they've adapted the product to do that.

"It's good enough to do that, it just needs the resellers who are already looking after those customers to sell CensorNet over the competitors."