Wedge Networks Debuts Channel Program

Security threats are more targeted and intelligence-based these days, so it stands to reason security solutions should follow suit.

Content security and compliance firm Wedge Networks has rolled out its new Reseller Channel Program, a move that promises to boost the anticipated growth of real-time and intelligence-based security solutions to combat complex and sophisticated threats. The new channel program aims to better enable partners catering to specific market verticals — namely the corporate enterprise, government and service provider sectors.

In an effort to propel the channel program forward, Santa Clara, Calif.-based Wedge Networks is supplementing the launch with a 45-day technology validation trial offered to incoming channel partners. The “Instant-On Program” gives resellers and end-users access to the entire Wedge security suite, whichgives them the ability to evaluate the product and locate vulnerabilities within their own environments.

The full security suite entails data loss prevention, antivirus, antispam, antimalware and content filtering. The suite can also be run as a WedgeOS VMware virtual appliance, which provides either a perimeter security gateway or security from the cloud.

The WedgeOS platform and associated deep content inspection features come as complementary add-ons to existing firewall and application hardware. For the channel, this means the ability to bolster existing portfolios and provide a broader spate of new services with no further hardware investments — a value-add that can be passed along to customers.

The program sets the stage for new channel inroads with enterprise and government customers that house multi-platform infrastructure and are increasingly gravitating toward security and compliance solutions that support mixed environments.

“The channel is the foundation of our business model,” said Barry George, Wedge Networks’ vice president of global sales. ”By supporting our partner’s goals of customer retention, strong profit margins and new business, our program is designed to open the door to new revenue opportunities for our partners. Our enterprise class software solution provides customers with protection against the threats that traditional hardware is unable to stop.”

At the outset, the channel program launch indicates the strength and anticipated growth of content security as part of the overall security market. With the dearth of new and sophisticated threats, security markets are projected to remain strong for some time. While spending in numerous technology areas has slowed in light of the economic pressures, Gartner anticipates that worldwide spending on IT security will remain strong, increasing 8.4 percent to $60 billion by the end of 2012, and ultimately reaching $86 billion by 2016.

That said, as security threats have evolved, the industry has subsequently been forced to adapt with nuanced solutions designed to better track and target increasingly elusive threats. Likewise, more targeted threats and increasingly enforceable compliance regulations have also heralded an era of solutions that are more acutely tailored to specific verticals.

That’s where Wedge Networks could potentially find its niche. The launch of the program reflects an inexorable march toward industry-focused and intelligence-based content security solutions. And while the space is heating up fast, the migration toward intelligence-based and multi-platform content security will likely give partners a wide-open playing field to cultivate a host of specialized offerings that will ultimately serve to expand their portfolios and keep them competitive in a rapidly changing market.