Westcon Group to Carry Trend Micro Security Solutions

"It was a hole in our portfolio. We looked at the marketplace and [saw] the end user's desire for security as moving more from a point-product solution to a solutions view of security," said Anthony Daley, executive vice president of the Amercias at Westcon Group, Tarrytown, N.Y. "[Trend Micro's] ability to be integrated into Cisco [Systems'] products, into their Unified Threat Management solution, is a strong component of that."

Trend Micro is also distributed through Ingram Micro, Synnex, Tech Data and Interwork Technologies in the United States.

The Cupertino, Calif.-based vendor added Westcon Group because of the distributor's security expertise and a potentially all-new customer base for Trend Micro, said Nancy Reynolds, director of channel sales at Trend Micro.

"It's about creating new markets for our VAR community. And their VARs have a security practice. They're not just reselling the product," Reynolds said. "Also, they're not selling our primary competition, McAfee or Symantec. We want to capitalize on their expertise and the tools they provide to resellers."

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Two years ago, Cisco Systems and Trend Micro collaborated on Cisco's Network Admission Control (NAC) program and later on a program to help protect networked businesses by integrating Cisco's network infrastructure and security systems with Trend Micro's worm and virus technologies, vulnerability assessment and real-time outbreak-prevention capabilities.

Reynolds would not say how many solution providers she expected to add through Westcon Group. "We are looking for a different mix of our [elite] SecureOne partners. We have 33 percent new blood [in SecureOne] from last year. We are looking for more," she said.

At least one solution provider expects to transfer his Trend Micro business from other distributors to Westcon. Wes Parker, director of inside sales at Stalwart Systems Group, a Charlotte, N.C., solution provider and Trend Micro SecureOne partner, prefers to buy through Comstor. "They were the first distributor to work with us when we started four years ago. They're our go-to partner with Cisco, which is the other primary technology company we are focused on," Parker said.

Weston Group views Trend Micro as its next step in becoming a specialized security distributor, building on its foundation of Checkpoint and Nokia, Daley said.

"That's the biggest thing, being able to round out our go-to-market as a security bundled solution and not as a point-product solution. That's what the market is communicating that they want," Daley said.

"[Trend Micro] is a key component when you look at a complete security solution. The desktop has to be component of security. By incorporating that, our resellers will be able to go to their customer base.