RSA Buys Encryption Vendor, Inks Resell Deals With Others

For now, he added, the goal is to give customers a one-stop source for data security technology, including RSA's token authentication technology, database and file encryption with Valyd technology, encryption of data on disk and tape with Decru and NeoScale appliances, and encryption of in-motion data with CipherOptics appliances.

The appliances from Decru, NeoScale and CipherOptics have been resold by EMC as "sales completers," Welch said. However, with the new emphasis on moving to integrate encryption technologies, EMC's sales of these products will be handled by RSA, he said.

Kevin Brown, vice president of marketing at Decru, said RSA's move to bring various encryption technologies to market makes it easier for customers to see the importance of data security. "This will help customers look at best practices, such as how to manage the encryption keys, how to do disaster recovery, how to do secure recovery, how to do audits," he said.

Jim Doherty, chief marketing officer at CipherOptics, said his company's products are mainly sold through solution providers and managed security service providers and that the company plans to have follow-up news about its RSA relationship in a few weeks.

Dore Rosenblum, vice president of marketing at NeoScale, said his company's sales mainly go through indirect channels, and the relationship with RSA shouldn't affect NeoScale's solution provider sales. "Large partners like RSA typically sell to larger customers," he said. "Other partners sell to smaller customers or work with RSA."

Despite RSA's involvement with the channel for its enterprise security product, the security vendor's new push in data security will rely mainly on direct sales for the time being, Welch said.

"To the extent we can make these channel-ready, we will look to do more with the channel," he said. "But most of our sales are still part of an overall solution. They are very complex. Our sales model has historically been direct because our products need programming to sell."

Still, RSA's data security plans will ultimately be good for the channel, according to Advanced Systems' Teter. "Once they work out the details, it will be a good channel solution," he said. "They'll need time. The channel represents a good upside for RSA and EMC."