PineApp Makes U.S. Debut With Channel

The company, PineApp, has existed in Israel since 2001 and unveiled plans for U.S. operations based in New York earlier this month at CRN publisher CMP Media's XChange Solution Provider conference in New Orleans.

PineApp's flagship product, Mail SeCure 3.0, is an integrated security appliance that offers security policy management, firewall capabilities and protection against spam, viruses and worms. The box scans both outgoing and incoming mail and checks for any suspicious activity, including spyware.

The company plans to recruit no more than 30 U.S. solution providers and offer them 30 percent margins to sell the appliance to customers of every size, said Brett Martin, director of North America operations at PineApp.

Every sale also will include a 3 percent kickback for marketing development funds, Martin said.

In addition, the company is launching a deal registration program to give solution providers additional margin protection.

The company also plans to roll out a new evaluation program through solution providers whereby all qualified prospective customers receive a full-functioning evaluation unit for 30 days.

"The best way to convince customers about a product is to let them test it for themselves," Martin said. "We think that once people have the opportunity to investigate our [Mail SeCure 3.0] box, they'll see just how good it really is."

Less than one month after PineApp's U.S. launch, some of the company's 10 existing solution providers said the quality of PineApp's technology is creating sales opportunities for them.

When compared with technology from competitors such as IronPort, Message Harbor, Barracuda Networks and CipherTrust, the PineApp product offers "more for less," and is well worth the investment, said Arion Kalpaxis, managing partner of TekInsight, a solution provider based in New York.

"This product is better than anything on the market today," he said. "It's just a matter of time before customers begin to realize that."

Mike Menegay, president of Software Medium, a solution provider in Dallas, agreed, adding that he would most likely roll the Mail SeCure 3.0 box into a broader managed services offering down the road.

"They have a services model that is second to none," Menegay said. "[PineApp] is a breath of fresh air."