Software Salvos: Check Point Makes Small-Business Foray

Check Point Software Technologies this spring plans to roll out a channel program tailored for solution providers serving small businesses.

The new program is part of Check Point's effort to branch out into the small-business market. The vendor has traditionally targeted the enterprise market with its firewall and VPN products but has been trying to expand into new segments.

"Check Point's Small Business Partner program will be a simplified program, appropriate for solution providers selling to small businesses," said Jim Lima, senior manager of worldwide channel marketing at Check Point, based here.

Scheduled for launch in April, the program should make it simpler for solution providers to sell the vendor's SmallOffice products and also the Safe@ solutions for small businesses and home offices from its SofaWare subsidiary, Lima said.

Partners in the program would be able to sell only those Check Point products, the company said.

The program will require partners to review online sales and technical training presentations. Benefits will include leads, sales tools, co-marketing opportunities and a listing on a small-business partner locator on Check Point's Web site, Lima said.

Robert Cohen, president and CEO of CG Atlantic, a systems integrator and Check Point partner based in New York, said the vendor is moving in the right direction because the small-business market offers a lot of opportunities.

"But we're a bit anxious to see what happens and how Check Point creates requirements for the smaller integrator," he added. "Is that going to make it a little messy for us or companies like us?"

John Lorelle, owner of LNS Technologies, a solution provider in Tampa, Fla., welcomed Check Point's small-business efforts. "We love the Check Point solution. We're excited to see it come down to smaller markets," he said.

LNS Technologies sells WatchGuard security products to its smaller clients, but some ask about Check Point, Lorelle said. "We still like WatchGuard, but sometimes they [clients] do want a Check Point solution,and one that's not cost-prohibitive," he said.

Check Point is leveraging the SofaWare partner program to create its small-business program, Lima said. The SofaWare program has about 120 partners who will be grandfathered into the new program, he said. The SofaWare Safe@ products are offered on appliances with prices starting at $299.

In addition to supporting the Safe@ solutions, the SofaWare program allows partners to offer managed security services via SofaWare's Security Management Portal software, which enables management of multiple Safe@ appliances. Those opportunities will continue under the new channel program, Check Point said.