Vendor seeks resellers with security experience as it courts ‘multiple branch’ customers

Appliance vendor Network Engines is looking for more partners to increase its market share.

The vendor, which developed its NS series of appliances in partnership with Microsoft to work with its Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) server 2004, recently appointed Unipalm as its second UK distributor. It also works with InTechnology in the UK.

Speaking to CRN, Gareth Green, general manager EMEA at Network Engines, said: “We recently introduced the Websense Security Suite onto our appliances. It made sense to have both of Websense’s distributors, Unipalm and InTechnology, on board.”

Green added that the vendor wants to talk to “security savvy partners” that work on the Microsoft platform.

“More than half of Websense’s business is ported on ISA,” he said. “Typically VARs are not making much money on ISA. But now, instead of

selling Websense on a white server, they can make margin from the appliance sale.”

He added that markets of interest to the vendor include finance, retail and government because of their ‘multiple branch’ model, which present a “good sales opportunity”.

David Ellis, director of e-security at Unipalm, said: “If you look at the UK and Ireland, 65 per cent of Websense sales are deployed on Microsoft ISA servers, and that is with no hardware sales.

“Partnering with Network Engines gives our Websense resellers that sell into the Microsoft environment, the ability to bolt on hardware sales

on top,” he added. “By doing that they can double their revenues. We are seeing a lot of interest from our re-seller base.”