Tech Data Partners With Mobile Security Solutions Firm Good Technology

Tech Data has partnered up for a deal with Good Technology to exclusively distribute its mobile security solutions, the company said Tuesday at its Channel Link event in Uncasville, Conn.

It is one of the first exclusive deals since Tech Data launched its Tech Data Mobile Solutions global division back in February.

Good Technology previously had a small direct presence in North America for its mobile security solutions, but it was only working through the channel with a handful of resellers, Heather Murray, Tech Data vice president of mobile solutions, said. Those few resellers will be moved into the Tech Data reseller network, and Tech Data will serve as the company's only entry point into a much larger network of resellers, which Murray said will help streamline the company's channel go-to-market and expand its channel presence.

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"We estimate that we can double their business from last year in the channel to this year just by the VARs that we bring to the table," Murray said. "We are going to provide that scale that they needed to grow."

What makes Good Technology so great, Murray said, is that the company does much more than Mobile Device Management (MDM), covering everything from mobile app development, to secure email to the MDM itself. The company provides industry-leading, end-to-end security and MDM solutions across IOS, Android and Windows platforms.

"Good pioneered mobile container technology and is the de facto leader; we have the industry's broadest set of mobile workflows, a growing ISV ecosystem and the highest level of security for protected email and messaging on both iOS and Android. Together with Tech Data and its channel partners, we can accelerate the adoption of secure enterprise mobility into new markets and drive the innovation curve forward," Lou Albert, Good Technology's vice president worldwide commercial SMB and channel sales, said in a prepared statement.

"We couldn’t have asked for a better partnership," Murray said.

The distributor has continued to evolve its U.S. strategy, with what Murray called a "clear focus" on enterprise solutions and an integrated supply chain for its channel partners, and the Good Technology partnership fits right into that plan.

"We're getting much deeper with the reseller and giving them a lot more to work with in terms of getting stickier with the end user," Murray said.

Anthony Vassallo, co-founder and CEO of Parsippany, N.J.-based MetroMSP, said that while he hasn't been involved with the Tech Data mobile business in the past, he expects they will be adopting it soon as the mobile market continues to "explode." Vassallo said that he hasn't heard of Good Technology before, but he said it is very important to him to have mobile security as part of the Tech Data portfolio as he evaluates picking up mobile technology for his managed service provider business.

"I've heard good things but haven't had an opportunity to test it out," Vassallo said. "I'd be interested to hear what they're all about."

Tech Data's Murray said that the distributor is always looking to add managed service solutions that uphold the company's reputation as a "trusted adviser" to the channel. She said to expect even more mobile-focused solutions to be added to the portfolio in the next 12 to 18 months.

PUBLISHED APRIL 8, 2014