SonicWall partner initiatives see strong growth following Dell spinout
Security vendor SonicWall has unveiled new partner training and marketing programs that take aim at SMB cybersecurity threats; other channel news from the week.
Security vendor SonicWall has unveiled SonicWall University, a new cybersecurity training resource for partners, as well as global marketing programs and incentives for targeting SMBs.
SonicWall University features specialized training and accreditation for sales, systems engineers and support team staff. The curriculum includes third-party contributors and content created by SonicWall partners. Authorized partners can access SonicWall University for free, the vendor said.
Meanwhile, SonicWall's new marketing initiatives seek to educate customers on today's cyberthreats, focusing specifically on ransomware, SSL and TLS encrypted threats and phishing attacks. To that end, SonicWall partners can use prepackaged campaign materials and request market development funds through the company's partner portal. Additionally, SonicWall said partners that use these programs to generate business can receive special discounts and rebates.
Since officially spinning out of Dell on November 1, 2016, SonicWall said it has registered more than 10,000 resellers in its SecureFirst Partner Program. Partners span the globe, registering in the SecureFirst program from 90 countries, according to SonicWall.
Other news
Here's a look at more news highlights from the week:
- SD-WAN vendor Silver Peak released an update of its Unity EdgeConnect software, which integrates SD-WAN, WAN optimization, routing and a stateful firewall. Derek Dal Ponte, director of field and partner marketing at Silver Peak, said the company has seen increases in deal registrations and "healthy growth" of its partner base. He noted that managed service providers (MSPs) are one of the types of channel firms the company is particularly interested in. "MSPs offer a very interesting value proposition [for Silver Peak] moving forward," he said.
- Westcon-Comstor, a value-added distributor based in Tarrytown, N.Y., has added Embrava's Blynclight and Lumena products to its line card. The distributor's Unified Communications and Collaboration Solutions Practice will carry the Embrava offerings, specifically Blynclight status lights and Lumena headsets. Those products automatically sync to Skype for Business/Lync, Cisco Jabber, RingCentral, Cisco Finesse, Skype and CounterPath Bria, according to Westcon-Comstor.
- Cloud distributor Pax8 appointed John Walters as its new vice president of service operations. Walters will oversee the strategic direction of Pax8's service delivery and technical support, according to the distributor. Walters' previous positions include a senior director role at Wipro.
Market Share is a news roundup published every Friday.
