Channel Best-Sellers: Winning Security Players

VPNs

CheckPoint Software came in with the largest market share in the VPN category of the CMP Channel Best Sellers survey with 53.9 percent, but WatchGuard Technologies had the highest sales growth. WatchGuard was up 2.9 percent in the first half of 2007 over the year-ago period, while CheckPoint took a hit, enduring a drop in sales of 3.2 percent, according to data from the NPD Group/Distributor Track.

The data shows WatchGuard claimed 37.1 percent of the U.S. dollar volume share in VPN product sales. Rounding out the top four best-sellers of VPNs were SonicWall, with 2007 share of 6.9 percent (up .6 percent), and Netgear, with 2.3 percent (down .1 percent).

WatchGuard's growth came in a year that found it hiring a new CEO and re-emphasizing its channel program. Joe Wang, former CEO at LANDesk Software, took over as president and CEO at the company at the end of April.

The company has come up with innovative ways to educate solution providers on their product line. By posting online selected IT security videos produced by its LiveSecurity Service, the company makes complex technical security topics accessible to a wide audience.

SonicWall, with a .6 percent gain in share, was the only other vendor in the group to see growth in the period surveyed.

"SonicWall's products have been a hands-off experience in the best way—we'll implement and hear nothing but good from a customer," said Chris Cunningham, CTO of C3 Systems & Security, South Bay, Calif.

VARs that cater to the SMB market have embraced SonicWall's simplicity and ease of use. "Users prefer being able to access a utility via a Web browser. That enables mobility, remote access and being able to integrate into your existing infrastructure. SonicWall offers this, plus a lot more," said Alani Kuye, founder of Phantom Data Systems, Norwalk, Conn.

-- Jennifer Bosavage

VPNs 1st half 2007 Market Share Market Share Change 1st half '07 vs. 1st half '06 Check Point 53.90% -3.2 Watchguard Technologies 37% +2.9 SonicWall Inc. 6.90% +0.6 Netgear Inc. 2.30% -0.1 All Other 0% +0.0 * Ranking based on 1st half 2007 share of sales dollar volume. Highlighted vendor gained greatest share from 1st half 2006 to 1st half 2007 Source: The NPD Group/Distribution Track (Incudes GTDC Data), www.npd.com/lps/distributortrack