Actu
Smoothwall Channels Success in the Right Direction
August 2011 by Marc Jacob
The Yorkshire based web security and filtering specialist, Smoothwall, has doubled in size in the last year and is reporting a 40% increase in business as a result of significant growth in the firm’s channel business which has secured over £500,000s worth of contracts with a wide range of Internet Service Providers (ISP’S), Network Support Providers and Systems Integrators.
Smoothwall, which has its headquarters in Leeds as well as offices in North Carolina and California, is now selling its technology and products via 600 reseller partners in over 65 countries.
International Channel Manager Jamie Moore says: “Our partners choose Smoothwall because our Guardian Web Security system utilises our own filtering technology which is considered to be amongst the best in the world. It provides real-time control and monitoring of each and every webpage and user requests, plus all the tools needed to secure, manage and report on their activity. However, the real competitive advantage for most of the companies that partner with us is the level of technical and business support we provide.
“We invest our time and expertise in our partners who are ISPs, system integrators, IT service companies and Value Added Resellers (VARs) to ensure that they have complete knowledge and understanding of this complex market, which helps them to deliver the right solution to their customers’ problems. We believe that we provide tangible value to everybody in the chain – the customer gets exactly what they need, their end-users get properly secured internet and web access and our partners get healthy margins and to build long term relationships with their clients.”
Smoothwall recently helped one specialist reseller partner secure a contract with the NHS in Newcastle worth over £100,000. Jamie explains: “We provide our partners with personal account and support managers and actually go into their businesses and help to generate and close sales leads. Our staff are obviously well versed in the benefits of Smoothwall’s technology, so it makes sense for them to stand shoulder to shoulder with our channel partners providing invaluable product and market insight and hands on advice.”
Smoothwall’s Chief Executive Officer George Lungley added: “Our partner sales account for over 40% of the company’s revenue, and they continue to grow strongly across all the territories we operate in. We are delighted that we continue to outperform our much larger competitors in both the UK and USA by delivering solid service, great support and producing innovative high quality products. The tough economic conditions have been good for our business, making us work harder to deliver more value for less and more importantly, giving our customers the impetus to look carefully at their existing high cost and underperforming security technologies.”
He concluded: “We believe that great British software engineering and Yorkshire grit make a powerful combination and we’re planning further expansion within our business before the end of this year which will take full advantage of the fragile global economic climate.”
