Security Outlook: Best Brands, Best Vendors

Proforma DMS, a Memphis, Tenn.-based security reseller, works hard to establish its own identity with its customers. Nevertheless, the brand power of its major vendors--Microsoft, Cisco Systems and Trend Micro--does sometimes sway prospects into signing the purchase order.

"Vendor brands do work. I use them in my sales tactics," Proforma president Jerry Thompson says. "I'll drop their names on the proposals so they know I have big money behind me."

In the security market, vendor brands do hold a lot of clout, according to the VARBusiness State of Technology survey on security. Overall, 42 percent of security VARs rely on the strength and reputation of vendor brand to sell security. More than half of large VARs trade on their vendors' names, while SMBs rely somewhat less on brand.

It's no surprise that VARs say the market leaders are best positioned to deliver security products to counter existing and emerging threats. In network security, Cisco topped the list of best network security vendors. The company has invested heavily in security in recent years, now offering everything from firewalls and VPNs to intrusion-prevention and endpoint-compliance technologies.

Symantec, which withdrew from the UTM market last year, placed second on the network security list, mostly on the strength of its network-based antivirus products. It topped the threat vendors' list for its host-based antivirus and threat-protection software.

SonicWall rounded out the top three network security vendors. While Symantec bailed out of the UTM market, SonicWall is picking up steam with its all-in-one security appliances for SMBs.