Zone Labs Sounds Small-Business Bell With ZoneAlarm

Zone Labs is setting its sights on the small-business market with a new partner program and special versions of its ZoneAlarm security suite.

The move marks a new channel direction for the traditionally consumer-focused end-point security vendor, now a division of Check Point Software Technologies. Check Point bought San Francisco-based Zone Labs two years ago.

“We think the [small-business] opportunity is extremely large, and it’s probably one of the most important growing opportunities right now,” said Laura Yecies, vice president and general manager of Zone Labs. “I think small businesses are the most vulnerable [to] security [problems].”

Zone Labs has brought in two new channel team members for the new program and plans to add five to 10 more channel sales and technical hires this year, Yecies said.

On the product front, the vendor is rolling out three small-business versions of ZoneAlarm: one for antivirus, one for antispyware and the full suite. All three are available now. Pricing for the antivirus and antispyware versions starts at $142 for five users. The full suite starts at $285 for five users.

VARs welcomed the opportunity to target ZoneAlarm products at small-business customers, noting that its performance advantages will be key.

“With the new reseller program, it’s opened a lot of doors and given me a lot of tools,” said Kurt Kruel, owner of Klass Act Solutions, a solution provider in Horicon, Wisc.

Kruel said small-business customers need security products, but they can’t slow down the performance of their sometimes older PCs. Small-business products also have to be easy to use, he said.

“A lot of my clients have two- and three-year-old computers that are not the top-of-the-line systems,” Kruel said. After conducting tests on identical systems with one running ZoneAlarm and the other running a competing product, Kruel found the performance of the PC running ZoneAlarm to be noticeably faster.

Brian Haboush, vice president of business development for Intelligent Connections, a Royal Oak, Mich.-based solution provider, said the new Zone Labs partner program will expand opportunities for both Zone Labs and Check Point.

“It’s a great move by Check Point because it increases brand awareness in the small and midsize market,” Haboush said.