SonicWall Plans MSSP Outreach Program

The effort, dubbed the SonicWall Managed Security Services Program, will include an exclusive group of partners, said Marvin Blough, vice president of North American sales at SonicWall.

A cornerstone of the program is SonicWall's Global Management System, a console that lets solution providers manage hundreds of SonicWall security appliances. Sources also said the Sunnyvale, Calif.-based company plans to launch a new entry-point firewall tool for managed security service providers (MSSPs) in late January.

A big part of the program involves teaching VARs how to evolve to a new revenue recognition model, Blough said. "In the past, you sold a box for $500 and got $500 out of the customer one time. What we're looking at now is that we get $500 out of the customer every year for the next three years," he said.

"The major MSSPs are using [this strategy], but teaching our VARs to be managed security service providers is exactly what this program is going to do," said Matt Medeiros, CEO of SonicWall. "You will even see pricing formulas for this in the channel's favor." SonicWall also will ramp up its training and certification efforts for some service providers, he said.

Solution providers were enthused at the opportunity to expand their managed services.

Steve Ryder, president of WAN Strategies, Keene, N.H., said his company offers remote workplace and secure workplace solutions and plans to add a new managed workplace offering by participating in the new SonicWall program.

"We like to bundle solutions to keep costs for our customers down," he said. "In the end, this is the strategy they like best."